Relay for Life surpasses goal; survivors connected by common thread

by Amanda Polaski– Staff Writer

When the call comes in from the doctor telling someone he or she has cancer, it has been described as being ?a blur,? and the whirlwind experience of treatment and fighting the battle sets in motion. This is the common thread between all people affected with cancer, no matter what form it takes, no matter how old or young they are, and no matter what part of the world they live in.

THIS PAST weekend, Relay For Life of Presque Isle County gathered in Rogers City in conjunction with the American Cancer Society to continue the fight against cancer in honor of all those affected, and in memory of all who have lost the battle. This year, the fundraising goal was $65,000, and although some might have doubted the ability for people to financially donate to the charitable cause during such rough economic times in Michigan, local Relay For Life teams were able to surpass that goal with $65,105.98. It was all made possible because caring people chose to take that step toward finding a cure ? they chose to walk. Among the many faces of survivors at Relay For Life this past weekend was one of several young local survivors, 24-year-old Leah Quaine. Leah, who is a 2000 graduate of Rogers City High School, and the daughter of Norm and Sue Quaine of Rogers City, was first diagnosed with Osteosarcona, a form of bone cancer, in November of 2003.

?I was just shaving my legs one day and noticed a little bump, and I thought I should go get it checked out,? said Leah. ?I went to my doctor and was then sent to Petoskey. They did some tests in Petoskey, and then sent me to Royal Oak. They assumed I had some kind of infection in my leg ? I never thought it was cancer, I just thought it was an infection.?

LEAH HAD no reason to think it was cancer. She was a busy student at Ferris State University, with only one semester left toward her dental hygienist degree. Cancer did not, as far as she knew, run through her family line. She was young, healthy, and like many who are diagnosed, not thinking of cancer when she made that decision to have her leg checked out. ?They took a biopsy and it took about a week for the test results to come back,? said Leah. ?I was at school at the time, and they called me there. Thank God my mom happened to be down at school with me.? Leah?s mom took the phone call from the doctor, learning the results of the test. Leah said her own reaction to the diagnosis was shock. ?It is all just a blur how it happened,? said Leah. ?I remember crying and talking with my mom ? that was a tough day. I started treatment right away. I had to go to Royal Oak for 21 rounds of chemotherapy, all within 11 months.?

Due to her treatment, Leah returned home to live with her parents. She was forced to take a year off of school, prolonging her anticipated graduation. Each chemo treatment landed Leah in the hospital for five days per session. ?I was in the hospital for about half of the year,? said Leah. ?I wasn?t allowed to have visitors, because I couldn?t afford to get an infection from someone who might have been sick. I lost all of my hair, and I lost about 30 pounds ? I was skin and bones?it was crazy.? Leah said her saving grace, as with many who are experiencing cancer, was the support and love she received from family and friends.

?THANK GOD they were all there ? I was never by myself,? said Leah. ?After the chemotherapy they watch you very closely, but luckily the cancer did not spread anywhere else in my body. They had to remove the spot from my leg (bone), and so I now have cadaver bone, plates, and screws in my leg.? Leah finished her treatment in 2004, and said the experience of battling cancer was like losing a year of her life. ?I don?t know where that year went, but I had family and friends that took care of me, so I was lucky,? said Leah. ?Thankfully, we had insurance ? I would hate to be without it during a time like that.? During her treatment, Leah?s friends and family formed a Relay For Life team called ?The College Kids,? which eventually becam

e ?Leah?s Team.? This year her team raised $1,500 for the American Cancer Society, and last year they raised about $1,200. Leah eventually returned to school, finished her degree, and now works at Dr. Ryan?s office in Rogers City. She is busy planning her upcoming September wedding to her fianc?, Duane Woloszyk. She has been cancer-free since 2004. ?Cancer changed my life at the drop of a hat,? said Leah, ?but I wouldn?t be the same person I am today if it hadn?t happened. It showed me how much everyone cares about me, and it taught me that you can never give up ? you?ve gotta fight, there?s really no other choice.?

LEAH?S HOPE is that sometime in the future other people won?t have to experience what she has gone through and so, like many other survivors and families of survivors, she chooses to walk. The Relay For Life of Presque Isle County had 20 teams, including Leah?s, participate this year in the 24-hour event. Each team had at least one member walking a track between Rogers City High School and Elementary School continuously for the 24-hour period. There were 1,491 luminaries lining the track in honor or in memory of cancer victims, and there were 80 cancer survivors who participated in the Victory Lap ? demonstrating 882 years of survivorship.