Cancer

This page is dedicated to the men, women and children who have to fight cancer. I love you. You are my heroes.

Cancer: The Emperor of all Maladies

by Dana-Susan Crews

"Cancer is built into us: the genes that unmoor normal cell division are not foreign to our bodies but rather mutated, distorted versions of the very genes that allow us to grow, to adapt, to recover, to repair - to live. Malignant growth and normal growth are so genetically intertwined that unbraiding the two is one of the most significant scientific challenges faced by our species. If we seek immortality, then so, too, in a rather perverse sense, does the cancer cell." ~ Siddhartha Mukherjee

Cancer. The very word can cause unimaginable fear. Humankind has been in a great war against cancer for thousands of years, long before we even knew what cancer was. Hundreds of millions of lives have been lost to cancer, both human and animal. Cancer does not discriminate. It doesn't care about age, gender, race, religion, socioeconomic background or nationality. It is a worldwide epidemic.

In the U.S.A. one in two men and one in three women will get cancer. The science behind these diseases is complex. In his Pulitzer Prize winning book, "The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer", Siddhartha Mukherjee takes us on a journey through the history of cancer. According to Mukherjee, cancer has always existed, but it wasn't until 440 B.C. when the queen of Persia discovered a lump in her breast that the removal of a tumor first happened.

The publication of this book in 2010 sparked a documentary film, "Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies" which premiered on PBS. The 3-part, 6-hour film is considered the most comprehensive documentary on a disease ever made.

View part one here: CANCER THE EMPEROR OF ALL MALADIES

My Brother, Luke: How I First Met Cancer

by Dana-Susan Crews

L-R: Dana-Susan Crews, Andrew Park, Luke Park
at Texas Children's Hospital, 1977

My baby brother, Luke Park came home in a Christmas stocking just two weeks after my 6th birthday in December 1975. Immediately I fell in love with him. He was an adorable baby with round cheeks and a smile that filled my heart with joy.

Not long after his birth, our family moved to Kansas. I carried Luke around like he was my doll. I played with him in the snowy winter and my family spent many days and nights laughing at the funny faces he made and silly things he said. He was highly intelligent and could speak in complete sentences even at the age of 18 months.

Then, life changed in an instant. After discovering a large bump on the back of his head, my mom took him in to the doctor. That doctor thought it was a blood clot and drained it. Moments later, in a panic, he told my mom to get Luke to a specialist as he was sure this was something very serious. Our family knew the best place to go was the famous Texas Medical Center in Houston.

My other brother, Andrew, and I stayed at our grandparents' house while our parents took Luke to Texas Children's Hospital where he was diagnosed with an extremely rare disease described as a combination of blood and bone cancer. X-rays of his skull and spine looked like Swiss cheese, filled with holes as they were dying rapidly. As it turns out, the bump on his head, drained in Kansas, was his brain literally falling out of his head.

Luke stayed in the leukemia section and began all the torture of tests, including bone marrow aspirations, brain biopsies, scans and much more. He started chemotherapy and doctors from all over the world came in to study his very rare case. They told my parents that no one under the age of three had ever acquired this disease to this extent and survived so they should prepare for his excruciatingly painful death.

Our family spent a lot of time praying. We also spent a lot of time playing, which is something I learned early on was a great way to conquer your fears. It was a long and difficult battle, but in the end, Luke survived his disease. Recovery wasn't immediate, but it wasn't as long as it was supposed to be either.

This was 1977 when survival rates for blood cancer were not very good. About 90% of children diagnosed with the most common of childhood leukemia died back then. Today, thanks to vast research, almost 90% of them survive into adulthood.

My brother grew up to graduate with honors at Texas A&M University. Throughout his life, he has maintained physical strength, mental strength and spiritual strength that amazes me every day. I learned from him that when you're sick, you can still smile. When you're troubled and afraid, you can lean on your faith in God to get you through the darkness. I learned that miracles still happen.

I am proud of my brother and thankful for his introducing me to cancer when I was only 7 years old because I had no idea that many years later, I would return to the horror of cancer and must rely on the lessons learned in the halls of Texas Children's Hospital.

Luke all grown up and living a wonderful life!

Michelle Crews, the Sister-in-law I Never Got to Meet

by Dana-Susan Crews

Michelle Crews was a bubbly, happy 5-year-old girl who loved to spend summers chasing chickens at her grandparents' ranch, go fishing with her family, and swimming with her big brother Bill. On Memorial Day weekend in 1974 Michelle fainted at the lake where her family was fishing. The next day, she was diagnosed with leukemia.

In the 1970s there was virtually no chance for children to survive leukemia and most children only lived for a few short months following diagnosis. Michelle endured chemotherapy and radiation therapy. She tried to maintain normalcy during it all, playing board games with her brother and going to school when she could. Her brother Bill was very protective of his sister, especially when kids made fun of her for being bald.

Michelle fought like a true champion against her disease. Her courage was evident, her strength like that of a brave soldier at war. One year after her diagnosis, Michelle took her last breath at the age of six. On Memorial Day weekend 1975, Bill remembers the profound sorrow of kissing his little sister's cold cheek as she lay in the coffin. He was 8 years old at the time and many years have gone by, but the memory of his adorable little sister lives on.

In 2003 when Bill was diagnosed with lymphoma, his thoughts of his sister were almost constant. They now had something in common and he wished he could talk to her about it. In Michelle's memory, we continue to fight.

Bill Crews, my Husband and Hero

Bill Crews was diagnosed with stage four, highly aggressive, completely incurable non-Hodgkin lymphoma in October 2003. He had just celebrated his 37th birthday and was in top physical condition, running, swimming and lifting weights. Only four months after finishing intensive chemotherapy, he crossed the finish line in a triathlon. He is an Ironman triathlete. He inspires people of every age and background. But he doesn't think of himself as a hero. He's humble and kind and I am madly in love with him. The following is part of a speech he gave at an inspiration dinner for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society at the Houston Marathon in January 2013...

"The dictionary definition of 'hero' is: someone of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities.

Over the past several months a lot of people have asked me to talk about my feelings about Lance Armstrong. My typical answer is that I'm grateful for any good he's done for the cancer community and then I change the subject. Some people have even said, "what has happened to Lance is tragic because the cancer community has lost its great hero." What I'm about to say to you has nothing to do with Lance, but everything to do with the lie that the cancer community had only one great hero and no longer does.

If a hero truly is someone with distinguished courage or ability, admired for brave deeds and noble qualities, well then the cancer community remains full of heroes, some alive and well, and others fallen.

My sister Michelle became a hero in my eyes when she was only 5 years old. I will never forget the moment my parents told me she had leukemia. I was 7 years old and scared. But I watched her courageously endure chemotherapy and radiation. I saw her laugh and smile when she was in pain and proudly pull off her wig in front of everyone to jump into the pool to swim with me. Michelle was my best friend.

For a year, I saw a true hero in her as leukemia ate away her life. On the last day of second grade, I went home from school to hear the devastating words that changed my life forever: "your sister died today." One year after her diagnosis, my sister became another victim of blood cancer. In my eyes, Michelle Crews is a fallen hero. She's not out living strong. She never had the chance to run a marathon or become an Ironman. She never had the chance to even finish kindergarten. But she was one of the greatest heroes of my life.

Recently I read an article about teenagers with cancer. They wrote about how they feel about their disease. Kids are so honest. They don't feel the need to put a spin on cancer. They just tell it like they see it. One of the girls said how she just wishes she could go to P.E. class and hang out with her friends, all the normal stuff she's missing out on. Every one of them said they just wanted to go back to the normal stuff, not that they wanted to be some great hero doing big extraordinary things, just the ordinary things all the other teens take for granted. But the quote that stood out the most to me came from a 14-year-old boy. He said, "Cancer has messed up my life. There's no getting round it. People say I'm inspiring and strong. I hate that. I'm no superhero, just a boy who wants to stay alive doing what the doctors and nurses tell him in the hope of one day getting his life back."

This got to me more than anything else because it's how I feel too. My photo is in magazines and on posters at MD Anderson. In it, I stand next to my bike with the word "lymphoma" crossed out and the caption talks about my triathlons and marathons. I'm told that my story of beating cancer and becoming an Ironman inspires people to pursue their dreams. The simple truth is I'm not a hero for having cancer. I was just a 37-year-old man who felt just like that 14-year-old. Cancer messed up my life. My hope was that the drugs would do their job of getting rid of my cancer so I could go back out and live again.

My hero is Dr. Rick Hagemeister, the man who saved my life. His decision to use RCHOP chemotherapy was the reason I'm alive today. It's not because I did anything great. I was lucky. The drugs worked for me. My sister was unlucky because they did not work for her. Does the fact that she died make her less of a hero? Does it mean she wasn't brave or strong or filled with courage? No. It means that the drugs did not work for her. Strength and courage do not save your life. Maybe, if you're lucky, the chemo works. That's why we need more funding for research. Cancer research saves lives. Oncologists, nurses, researchers... they are the heroes. They are the ones who have devoted their lives to the eradication of cancer. But without funding for research, they can't do their job.

That makes everyone in this room tonight a hero too. You have raised thousands of dollars for research and someday more and more people will survive cancer because of you."

Christopher Csikos: 5-year-olds Can be Heroes Too

by Dana-Susan Crews

CHRISTOPHER

"Mama says happiness is when magic rays of sunshine come down when you're feelin' blue" ~ Bobby Boucher, The Waterboy

Mike Csikos' wife Lisa wouldn't stop bugging him to get a mole on his face checked in 2002. It had continued to grow and was about the size of a pencil eraser that spring when he finally went in to have it checked. As Mike says, "a wife's intuition is a good thing." His mole was melanoma and Mike went to MD Anderson Cancer Center to have it removed.

On that same day, Mike wasn't the only one in the family heading to MD Anderson. His son Christopher, who had been battling leukemia for two years, was also a patient that day. Christopher Csikos was enduring radiation therapy in preparation for his bone marrow transplant to try to wipe out his leukemia. Due to flooding of the Texas Children's Hospital equipment (where he was a patient), he was having his therapy at MD Anderson that day.

Somehow Lisa Csikos, a brave champion in the war against cancer, was able to endure having a husband and son going through cancer treatments at the same time.

Mike's doctor successfully removed his melanoma and Mike, who is a Boston qualifying marathoner, has been free of disease ever since. Christopher's situation was not quite so simple.

Diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) at the age of two, Christopher had to tackle what no toddler should ever have to. He endured chemotherapy, radiation, two bone marrow transplants, and of course, all the torturous tests used to diagnose and stage and re-stage over and over again.

His baby sister, Michaela, donated her bone marrow to her big brother, making her just another great champion in this amazing family.

Three and a half years after Christopher's fight against leukemia began, it ended. On December 11, 2003, with his mom and dad beside him, Christopher took his last breath at the age of five. "He passed from the loving arms of his parents into the loving arms of Jesus," Mike says.

Now when Mike goes out on his morning runs and the sun begins to rise, he is reminded of Christopher's favorite quote from the movie The Waterboy: "Happiness is like magic rays of sunshine that come down when you're feelin' blue".

Christopher's beautiful life wasn't long enough, but while he was here, he filled the lives of those around him with incredible love, joy and hope. His family grieves his loss and always will, but their memories remain alive.

Mike and Lisa have run multiple marathons with Team In Training, raising thousands of dollars for research so that someday moms and dads won't have to bury their 5-year-olds because of leukemia. They and their beautiful daughter Michaela are heroes who greatly miss Christopher and do all of this to honor his memory. Bill and I were honored to be part of "Team Christopher" at the Houston Marathon 2016.

Morgan Marinelli

by Dana-Susan Crews

September 11, 2001 was a frightening day for Michelle Marinelli. When terror struck our nation, her husband Massimo, who is a pilot, was unable to contact her for a while and she did not know if he was safe. Thankfully, he was, but the memories of that dreadful day haunt this family just like the rest of the nation.

Six years later on September 11, 2007, the Marinelli family was struck with another terror, this time a personal one. Their 6-year-old little girl Morgan was diagnosed with cancer. Michelle had noticed a small lump on Morgan's neck. She was not too concerned, but because Morgan was scheduled for her annual doctor's appointment, she decided to ask about the lump. The doctor was certain it was nothing to worry about, likely an infection. But a couple of weeks later, another lump appeared on Morgan's neck and this time, it was pretty big. Michelle was persistent and even asked the pediatrician if cancer was a possiblity. Her reply was, "that is the last thing we think it is". But she sent Morgan to an oncologist at Texas Children's Hospital to be safe.

"The doctor at Texas Children's looked at me and said, 'you know this is cancer, right?'", Michelle said. More tests were ordered, including scans of little Morgan's chest which revealed stage four Hodgkin's lymphoma. Tumors were found all over her tiny body especially in her chest which was making her breathing difficult.

Morgan spent most of first grade bald and doing chemo and radiation. Doctors assured Michelle that she would be exhausted and napping a lot, but Morgan was anything but tired and napping. She endured her treatments pretty well and even enjoyed lots of jump roping during that time. Finally in March, she finished her treatments and returned to school!

Her doctors warned Morgan that she may never be a runner because of all the disease in her lungs. It had likely caused permanent damage. But Morgan, whose dad Massimo is a marathoner, was not satisfied with that. So, she began running and at the age of eight, she finished her very first 10K run, first place in her age group! Her mom Michelle also took up running and did her first half marathon with Team In Training.

Today Morgan is 12 years old and will be training for her first half marathon at The Woodlands Half Marathon in March. She will be starting 8th grade in the fall. She excels in school, taking all advanced courses and she is a fantastic musician with a great love for the viola. Her hope is to some day go to Baylor University and study music.

"If it weren't for research, Morgan wouldn't be with us today. We hope that some day there will be no childhood cancer and there will not be little six year old girls losing their hair and missing nearly all of first grade," Michelle said, "We hope that our friends will not lose another sibling to this disease and we hope that one day children will not lose their parents."

Morgan loves running. Her cancer did not

steal this from her! What a champ!

Selma Hagemeister

by Dana-Susan Crews

Selma Hagemeister with her children,
Dr. Rick Hagemeister & Paula Smisek

Born in 1914, Selma Hagemeister was raised in a small Texas town called Yoakum. Not far from there was another small town called Shiner where a young man named Fred Hagemeister lived. The two met one night at a square dance and at 19, Selma married Fred.

The couple attended beauty school and for 50 years they owned and operated several salons in San Antonio where they raised their two children, Rick and Paula. Rick grew up to become a world renowned lymphoma expert at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center where he has been treating patients with lymphoma for nearly 40 years.

In 1998, Fred died and the following year, at the age of 84, Selma discovered she had lymphoma. Her son the lymphoma doctor, along with her daughter Paula Smisek, brought her to MD Anderson where she had surgery followed by very aggressive chemotherapy. Chemo can be very difficult to endure, but for an 84-year-old, it is exceedingly difficult.

Her daughter Paula became her caregiver. She drove her from San Antonio to Houston to stay at Rick's house and took her to all of her doctor's appointments and treatments. Each night Paula set her alarm for three different times during the night to get up and administer Selma's medication. She was a devoted daughter, loving her mother and caring for her with incredible strength.

"I got down on my knees and asked God to give her quality of life," said Paula, whose faith gave her the strength to care for her mom.

And while Paula took care of her mom, Rick and his colleagues at MD Anderson prescribed her treatment plan and determined which medicines would be best to wipe out her lymphoma. Their plans worked and Selma's disease went into remission.

For the next 14 years, Selma lived that great quality of life her daughter had prayed for. She returned to San Antonio and lived a very active life, involved in charity work, visiting friends, traveling and even attending speaking engagements with her son to share her story and encourage people to never give up. She spent most of her time with the people she cherished including her friends, children, grandchildren and even great-grandchildren.

Last year, Selma died at the age of 99. She was cancer free and filled with the joy of living. She is greatly missed and will always be admired by those who had the priviledge of meeting her. Lymphoma lost its war against her. Her son, Dr. Rick Hagemeister continues to treat lymphoma patients at MD Anderson and he carries the memories of his amazing mom with him daily.

Connie Grigsby

by Dana-Susan Crews

Most brides get really busy before their wedding date arrives. There are plans to make, parties to attend, gifts to open. It’s a fun and joyous time. One month after she got engaged, instead of making all the normal wedding plans, Connie Grigsby got busy planning chemotherapy and radiation treatments. At 25, she had a lot to look forward to in life. Connie was a successful pharmaceutical rep in 1993 with a bright future.

But Connie couldn’t shake what seemed like Mononucleosis. Her doctor told her to get some rest to fully recover. This was long before people were using the internet so Connie pulled out her company manual to study her own symptoms and thought they were consistent with lymphoma.

She returned to her doctor who decided to run more tests. Connie sat all alone in the exam room for more than an hour while her doctor consulted with an oncologist. He returned to tell her the devastating news that she had Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Young and alone, she heard the news that would change her life forever. She phoned her parents who lived in another state and Stan, her new fiance. He learned how to be a devoted husband long before the wedding, loving Connie in her sickness, just like he had loved her in her health.

Because her disease was so severe, she would undergo 12 chemotherapy treatments and 25 radiation treatments. “The cancer was in both sides of my neck and traveled throughout the lymph nodes in my armpits, back, chest, abdomen, pelvis and down my groin,” said Connie, “It was in my spleen as well.”

Six months later, she was in remission and chose to have a bone marrow harvest in case of recurrence of disease. Thankfully, she never needed that.

Connie and Stan got married and later adopted two boys, Zachary and Jacob. Because of her disease, Connie became a vegetarian to try to boost her immune system. Healthy eating is only part of her mission, though. She also does Pilates, Spin classes and running. To celebrate her 40th birthday, Connie ran her first half marathon at the 2008 Aramco Houston Half Marathon. Later that year she ran the half marathon in Chicago and then in 2009 she ran the San Antonio Rock n Roll Marathon, the full 26.2-mile race in rare heat and humidity.

Once cancer strikes, it is forever. Although Connie had been in remission from Hodgkin’s lymphoma for 17 years, unfortunately, the disease and its treatments cause life-long troubles. Because of the treatments she did for lymphoma, Connie was at a very increased risk for the development of breast cancer and under advice from her doctors at MD Anderson, she had a prophylactic mastectomy followed by reconstruction surgery a couple of years ago.

Like so many others living with cancer, Connie works hard to do her part to fund research that will lead to the cure so that the young women of the future won’t have to deal with mastectomies for blood cancer or breast cancer or any other cancer. She participates in the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night Walk in The Woodlands as well as other volunteer activities to help raise awareness and funding for cancer research.

Super Sue

by her daughter Rachel Van Natta

One of the most amazing women I've ever know was Susan Van Natta. She wore a cape and ran really fast. Her spirit of determination, her kindness, her strength, her faith and her genuine love for people were just part of what made her one of the greatest ladies who ever walked (or ran) on Earth. Sue was one of the top fundraisers of all time at Team In Training, Texas Gulf Coast, having hit $100,000 (with plans to continue). Every marathon she ever ran was a Boston qualifier. We called her Super Sue because she was just so darn super.

In August 2010, Super Sue took her final breath after fighting stage four breast cancer for only a few months. In the winter season of 2015, Sue's daughters Rachel and Rebekah headed up a team for TNT and we all ran in honor of our beloved Super Sue. The following was written by Rachel...

In honor of Super Sue, a name that will not be forgotten, is still present with us through her loving, inspiring spirit as she, to this day, continues to change lives. It's been almost four years this August since her passing from stage four invasive breast cancer. Sue was a light in this world that brought joy to so many hearts.

Just to give you a little idea of why she was called Super Sue, not only in the race world, but in life... She was a hard working and dedicated wife and mother of twins, an aerobic, water aerobic, Pilates instructor, a running coach for Cypress YMCA and for TNT, a successful reflexologist, and a registered nurse, a 30 time marathon finisher and Boston qualifier, completed triathlons, 100 mile canoe races, 100 mile relay races, multiple century rides, and still managed to share her life with people she loved and cared for and always gladly gave 110%. She simply loved people, and because of that, this world is a better place.

She started with TNT over 10 years ago. She wanted to run for a cause greater than herself. When she signed up the race had only begun. Throughout her years with TNT she raised $100,000 alone, making her to this day, one of the top fundraisers of all time for the Texas Gulf Coast Chapter. She always went above and beyond. With that said, if our Team Super Sue raises $100,000 her name will be attached to a research portfolio and her legacy will live on as someone who ran to save lives!

One thing she always loved to do was to proudly run with her patients' faces and names attached to her jersey so people could cheer them on through their battles. One thing she used to say quite often was "just wait til I'm 80, I'll still be running marathons" and "I've never felt better or younger in my life". Her charisma and determination imprinted those who shared their lives with her. She was strong, fast, and a fighter.

Starting at the age of 17, I wanted to get involved in long distance running. Never in my life did I think I would ever want to do something as crazy as her! But turns out, I'm just like her because who she was made me want to be a person with integrigy, determination, and to inspire those around me. Racing by her side was the best feeling I could ever describe to you. More or less she would be a few steps ahead, but when it came to that finish line... hand in hand we would sprint as fast as we could and always crossed together. At the end we would just embrace each other with a hug and tears that were filled with love and success!

After my mom's passing, my sister Rebekah then started following in her footsteps too. Shocking to me, Rebekah never wanted anything to do with long distance and dare I say learn to swim! But she found that love and that discipline through the love of mymother, that piece of the puzzle, that void that was missing was slowly becoming more complete and full. My sister and I now race together, train together, teach together and love each other more than ever because of that bond my mom created from day one that she had always hoped for us. Not a day goes by that we don't miss her or think of her. My father was always supportive and was our rock in all our endeavors, to my mom's crazy adventurous life, to our family, and beyond. We stand here as a family strong and filled with joy, with all her friends and people she's touched, to honor her in all she has done and continues to do as her legacy lives on!

Sue Van Natta and some other TNT

The Woodlands runners in 2004

Harlan Cox

by Dana-Susan Crews



Letter of Encouragement from 14-year-old Harlan Cox, written to Team In Training Runners October 19, 2006:

The reality of my Cancer experience is not held in the scars on my body or in the painful memories that haunt my parents, but in the hope of a future that has been so sacrificially given to me.

Given by the lives of countless warriors that have fallen silent in this battle.

Given by the researchers whom tirelessly seek answers at the midnight hour.

Given by the Heroes that ran hundreds of thousands of miles in search of a cure.

Given by ordinary people, like me and like YOU!!!

Harlan's Story...

When the skies are dark, the winds are violent, and the rain begins to pour, you know that the storm has only just begun. For the Cox family, their storm began more than 21 years ago, only a few weeks after moving to Houston.

Susanne Cox knew something wasn't quite right with her 10-month old baby Harlan. "He was just getting to the age of pulling himself up and scooting around, but whenever he tried to stand he would cry and pull at his legs," she said. She and her husband Bruce took Harlan to the doctor because they were concerned about his legs and a fever had developed. An X-ray revealed nothing wrong with the legs but the fever worsened so they did blood work. Not long after, the nurse called to tell them their baby had leukemia.

For his first birthday, Harlan received a chemo port and began a 27-month long journey of intensive chemotherapy, spinal taps and bone marrow biopsies. "It's hard to watch your baby suffer like that," Susanne said. Harlan suffered grand mal seizures at one point and almost died from septicemia.

In February 1993 when Harlan was diagnosed, survival rates were beginning to improve some, but childhood leukemia was and still is an incredibly frightening experience for the entire family. Being at MD Anderson Cancer Center with a baby is not what any parent wants. "I thought that Harlan was going to die," Susanne said, "but as soon as we were given a room in the hospital, a nurse came up and put her arm around me and said, 'there has been so much research done with great success in combating the disease so there is HOPE.'"

Although it was a dark and scary time for the young family, a great light began to shine as Harlan's health improved, his disease went into remission, and they began the road to recovery. Susanne was pregnant with Harlan's sister. The baby would be born at the end of his treatments. Susanne had been trying to decide on a name for her only daughter and wanted something unique. She thought of the name Rainbow but wondered if it was too different. But then her mom sent her a card which read, "At the end of every storm comes a rainbow" so it was settled. Rainbow was born at the end of this family's great storm.

Over time, little Harlan grew stronger and healthier. Another brother, Sterling, was born into the family and together with their older brothers Ben and Daniel, this amazing family moved forward. Harlan excelled in music and on May 17, 2014, at the age of 22, he graduated Magna Cum Laude from Baylor University with a degree in Music Education. The following weekend he married his college sweetheart. Every breath he takes is another victory in the war against blood cancer.

From Susanne while she ran for "Team Super Sue" (above article)...

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society was at our side from day one of this journey. Team In Training was in existence four years when Harlan was recruited as an "honored patient". Over the years, I have watched and cheered many TNT athletes who participated in events in honor of not only my son, but countless others. These heroes have directly contributed to my son's survival.

One person in particular who ran in Harlan's honor was Sue Van Natta. She was tireless in her support and fundraising efforts. Now there is "Team Super Sue" in honor of all that she has done and I am on it! I want to honor her by running in the Houston Half Marathon in January 2015. And I want to be part of a team that raises funds for others just like Harlan. My son is alive today thanks to researchers, runners and contributors.

Harlan Cox, Magna Cum Laude

The happy couple on their wedding day

Sophie, LLS Honored Hero

by Sophie Hoelscher Long, Texas Gulf Honored Hero

I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma at the age of 24. Before I was diagnosed, I was living life like a normal 24-year-old enjoying the real world, moving up the corporate ladder at work, taking weekend road trips, wedding planning, and being a first time home owner.

As all this was going on, six weeks before my wedding, things suddenly changed. I was experiencing weight gain, swollen lymph nodes, itching, fatigue and being constantly out of breath. After some time, things didn't get better so I went to my general practitioner who at the time, misdiagnosed me with a form of bed bugs. Exhausted and out of options, I went to my dermatologist who immediately knew something wasn't right and ordered me to have blood work done. The next day, he called me and told me an appointment had been set for me to see an oncologist.

The next 24 hours were horrible. I was so restless, stressed out, worried and had questions racing through my mind. After seeing the oncologist things moved rather quickly. Within a week, I had a bone marrow biopsy, PET scan, and met with an ENT to schedule a lymph node biopsy.

On February 19, 2013 my world as I knew it forever changed. I went in for a quick and easy procedure of having a lymph node from my neck removed and during surgery, my airway collapsed on the operating room table. At that very moment I was put into a medically induced coma for the next six weeks.

That day they discovered a football size mass in my chest. Three days later, I was life flighted to the medical center, had a stint put in my airway, a trach put in my throat, hooked up to a ventilator and that night, started chemotherapy. When I woke up in late March, I had no idea what was going on besides thinking I was waking up in the recovery room from my lymph node biopsy. Within the next few days I became more coherent and learned piece by piece what the last six weeks had been like.

For me, I felt nothing and remembered nothing. But for those around me it was restless nights, worried until they made themselves sick, prayed until they were blue in the face, researching the internet until they felt their fingers wanting to fall off.

The next six months consisted of making the tough decision to shave my head, postponing our wedding, eight more rounds of chemotherapy, learning how to walk, talk, write and eat again, catching every possible hospital virus out there, and dealing with the corneal abrasion of my eye and the complications that followed.

It was the worst eight months and 13 days of my life. I was so sick! I was miserable. I kept wanting this all to be a nightmare and I would suddenly wake up. But it wasn't. It was real. I wasn't going to let cancer win this battle. I had the amazing support of family, friends, my husband, our work family, our community and even complete strangers. I had prayers and support coming my way from all over the world.

On August 29, I was in my hospital, when my miracle man- my oncologist, walked in and told me I won. I won my battle with Hodgkin's Lymphoma and was now considered CANCER FREE! Even though I won this battle, I was still dealing with the aftermaths and my journey wasn't quite over. I still had to start and complete 17 rounds of radiation therapy which I completed on October 29.

Since that day, I have gained most of my strength back, was able to get married on January 11, returned back to work, and waking up each morning thanking God for the second chance at life I was given.

I was fortunate enough to be able to participate in Light the Night for the first time in 2013. Although I was unable to walk at the time because I was still in treatment, I was pushed in my wheelchair alongside 65 of my teammates. My team and I were able to raise over $6,000.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has given me hope. They've given hope to other patients, families, survivors, or those who battled til the end. To know that all the donations and participants in the walks are focused on one goal, the goal to raise funds for continued research for blood cancers and offer support and services for patients and their families.

Help me find cures TODAY. Not someday, but TODAY.

Thank you for creating more survivors like me.

 Coach Tom Landry

by Dana-Susan Crews

Coach Tom Landry was born in September 1924 in a little Texas town called Mission. He was strong, confident, determined, and filled with courage.

Landry fought in World War II as a bomber pilot so he knew from an early age how to be a soldier and hero. Perhaps that time in the military was part of his preparation for later in life when he would fight a disease that threatens so many lives each year.

In the 1950s Landry played football for the New York Giants. Later he became their Defensive Coordinator opposite Vince Lombardi, the Offensive Coordinator. Then, in 1960, he became the very first head coach of the Dallas Cowboys where he coached for 29 seasons.

Known for his trademark suit and fedora, Landry was stoic and a great leader admired by coaches and players throughout the NFL.

In May of 1999, Landry was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). He endured nine months of treatments and died on February 12, 2000 at the age of 75. He has been gone for 15 years, but his legacy of honor and strength lives on.

Although great strides are being made to bring us closer to curing AML, it remains one of the most aggressive and difficult diseases to cure. Here are a few facts about AML:

• 20,830 new cases will be diagnosed in 2015
• 10,460 deaths from AML will occur in 2015
• 60-70% of patients will achieve a remission status
• 25% of patients will remain free of disease for 3 or more years

Remembering Jackie

by Dana-Susan Crews

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis spent her life as a strong and healthy woman. She was filled with enthusiasm and adventure and knew how to endure life's great challenges with dignity and grace. Only a few months after the death of her baby Patrick in 1963, her husband, President John F. Kennedy was shot and killed in Dallas. Jackie was only 34 years old and was left to raise her children, Caroline and John Jr., alone.

Later she married Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis. In 1973 she was widowed again when Onassis died in a plane crash. After suffering this loss, Mrs. Onassis moved to New York where she worked in publishing, first at Viking Press and then at Doubleday.

In December 1993, she noticed some swelling in her right groin. A doctor diagnosed it as an infection and prescribed antibiotics. Although the swelling went down some, it never disappeared. Over the Christmas holidays, while on a cruise, Mrs. Onassis developed a cough and noticed even more swollen lymph nodes in her neck as well as some pain in her abdomen.

A physician then ordered a CAT scan and biopsy which revealed non-Hodgkin lymphoma. In early January 1994, Mrs. Onassis began aggressive chemotherapy which initially led to a remission. But soon, she was weak and sick again and an MRI showed lymphoma in her brain and spinal cord.

After receiving chemo and radiation directly to her brain, she became very weak and disoriented. Soon doctors discovered the lymphoma had spread to her liver and told her there was nothing more they could do.

Jackie Kennedy Onassis died on May 19, 1994.

Famous Blood Cancer Patients

Blood cancers have a huge impact on people of every age, gender, and background. Blood cancers do not care who you are or how much money you have. People from every walk of life are touched by these diseases. Following is a list of some famous blood cancer patients:

1. Mary Travers- Mary was a member of the folk music trio Peter, Paul and Mary. She was diagnosed with leukemia in 2004 and made a complete recovery following chemotherapy treatments.
2. Mr. T- Known for large gold jewelry and his quote "I pity the fool", Mr. T coincidentally battled T-cell lymphoma.
3. Tom Landry- Head coach of the Dallas Cowboys for 29 seasons, Tom died of leukemia in February 2000 at the age of 75.
4. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis- The former first lady was diagnosed with lymphoma which later metastasized to her brain and liver. She died in 1994.
5. David Quessenberry- The Houston Texans offensive tackle is currently undergoing lymphoma treatments at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
6. Michael C. Hall- Famously known for his roles in Six Feet Under and Dexter, the actor was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2010.
7. Tom Brokaw- In February 2014, Tom announced he'd been diagnosed with multiple myeloma.
8. Ed Bradley- During his 25-year career as a broadcast journalist on 60 Minutes, he won 19 Emmys. Ed died during a surgery on his spleen. He was suffering at the time from leukemia.
9. Geraldine Ferraro- Ferraro inspired women all over America as a great attorney and politician. In 1998, she was diagnosed with multiple myeloma and became a great advocate for research before dying of the disease in 2011.
10. Marie Curie- One of the most celebrated scientists of her time, Curie was most famous for her discovery of the elements polonium and radium. She won two Nobel Prizes, one in chemistry and another for physics which she shared with both her husband and Henry Becquerel. It is believed that her extended exposure to radioactive materials led to her diagnosis of leukemia and subsequent death.
11. Bill Walsh- Long time head coach of the San Francisco 49ers and Stanford University, Bill died of leukemia at the age of 75.
12. Peter Boyle- Best known for his role as the sharp-tongued dad on Everybody Loves Raymond, Peter died of multiple myeloma in 2006.
13. Paul Allen- The co founder of Microsoft beat Hodgkin lymphoma in 1983 and was later diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2009.
14. King Hussein of Jordan- Following a stem cell transplant for lymphoma, he died in 1999.
15. Gene Wilder- The actor/comedian underwent a life-saving autologous stem cell transplant for non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
16. Ryan O'Neal- The famous actor beat leukemia. Later, he suffered from a secondary cancer, stage four prostate cancer.
17. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar- This basketball legend has been taking Gleevec® for his leukemia.
18. Evan Handler- Best known for his roles on Californication and Sex and the City, Evan beat leukemia at the age of 23. At the time, he was not expected to survive his very difficult battle against AML.
19. Robin Roberts- After overcoming breast cancer, Robin suffered a great side effect of her treatments, myelodysplastic syndrome (a precursor to AML) and underwent a bone marrow transplant. Her sister was her donor.
20. Harland Sanders- Known as "Colonel Sanders", he created Kentucky Fried Chicken and traveled 250,000 miles per year visiting his many restaurants until he died of leukemia in 1980 at the age of 90.

There are very many more famous folks who have had blood cancers. Neither fame nor fortune can stop these diseases. The answer to ending blood cancers lies in the hands of researchers who work diligently to develop better therapies to both extend and improve life.

In the below video, Gene Wilder talks about his battle against NHL and stem cell transplant.