Survivor takes walk to advance lung cancer research

When it comes to lung cancer, Mary Jo Grand knows the statistics.

Lung cancer surpassed breast cancer as the No. 1 killer of women in 1987. It kills more men each year than prostate cancer. It kills more people than breast, prostate, colon, liver, kidney and melanoma combined. It is the No. 1 cancer killer in the United States and the least funded when it comes to research.

She knows those statistics because she has lung cancer. Diagnosed four years ago, she has made it her mission to raise money for research and help those battling the disease. The Garden City resident is holding her third annual MJ Grand Breathe Easy Walk Fun Run/Walk and Dine on Sunday, Oct. 14, to benefit for the University of Michigan Lung Cancer Research Program.

?When I was diagnosed with lung cancer, I never expected the response I received, I was shocked,? she said. ?People didn't asked how I was doing, it was ?Oh, you must have been a smoker.' It's time to stop the blame game; it doesn't solve anything.?

?People who have been diagnosed with lung cancer deserve to receive support and be treated with compassion. We can't get around the fact that smoking is bad for your health, but nearly 80 percent of all newly diagnosed lung cancer patient either never smoked or quit decades ago,? she said.

Grand has raised more than $42,000 for lung cancer research with her Breathe Easy event. It is one of the biggest fundraisers for the U-M research program, and she is hoping to get more people to sign up and raise even more money.

The walk/run is along the Rouge River Gateway Trail and portions of the University of Michigan-Dearborn campus. Registration is at 10 a.m. with the run starting at 11 a.m. and the walk at 11:15 a.m.

The start and finish is adjacent to the Andiamo Italian Steak House which is the dining host for this year's event. The public is invited to gather at the restaurant for an afternoon of special moderately priced Italian food music, Sunday football, children's activities, including face painting and balloon art and a silent auction featuring sports memorabilia, golf packages, hotel packages, jewelry, wine baskets and more.

Andiamo, located at 21400 Michigan Ave., Dearborn, will donate a portion of each diner's food bill between the hours of noon and 4 p.m. to Breathe Easy.

?The gateway trail is spectacular at this time of the year, we couldn't ask for a more beautiful spot for the event,? said Grand.

There is a $20 registration fee. Participants can sign up online and create their own fundraising page at www.breatheeasy.kintera.org. Anyone who raises $100 will receive a commemorative T-shirt. Children age 12 and under are free.

The afternoon also will include special guests Betsy De Parry and Sarah Murray. De Parry, a 12-year survivor of lymphoma, is the producer of Candid Cancer Reports on PBS, author of two books, Adventures In Cancer Land and the Rollercoaster Chronicles. She also is an advocate for cancer research. Murray is widow of Vada Murray, former University of Michigan football player, who will share her and her family's experience with lung cancer.

Grand was 47 years old when, in 2008, she was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. She decided to participate in a clinical trial that used targeted therapy to deal with the disease. Every three weeks, she goes to the cancer center to receive an infusion of Avastin, a cancer drug that has kept the disease at bay. She just received her 78th infusion. Doctors, she said, ?are rolling their eyes in wonder.? Nurses look at her chart and say 78 can't be right.

?Four years ago I was given six months to a year,? she said. ?There were 47 people in phase two of the clinical trials. I got very lucky, it worked for me.?

Having cancer has changed Grand. She appreciates the little things in life. Cancer, she said, has taught her ?to live in the moment.?

Grand and her husband, Tom, make the trip to the cancer center every three weeks. They call it their spa day. After her treatment, they stop for dinner at a favorite restaurant or try some place new. They have met many people at the center during those four years ? people who can't eat or sleep, people who are ?so scared.? The Grands talk to them about their journey.

?She gives them hope and they leave there with hope,? said Tom Grand.

?The Avastin is working, that and a lot of prayers,? added Grand. ?I told my doctor that No. 1, I put this in God's hand to let the medicine do what it can. With guided medication and prayer, I'm still here today.?

?My doctor said he probably will never live to see a cure, but he will see it as a managed disease,? she added.

smason@hometownlife.com (313) 222-6751

Source: http://www.hometownlife.com/article/20120920/NEWS16/209200688/1033/rss21

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