Dallas Light The Night Honored Hero: Raina Stoescu

Raina Stroescu at the 2015 Dallas Light The Night Walk

The Light The Night Walk (LTN) to benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) celebrates participants in all stages of a cancer battle - patients, survivors, caregivers, friends and family.  Each year the LTN team selects a couple honored heroes for each walk site to serve as inspiration.

Raina Stroescu is one of the 2016 honored heroes for the Dallas Mega Walk.  As you read her story, as told by her mother, you will see why she was chosen for this honor.  She is the embodiment of what an honored hero should be - determined, optimistic, dedicated, and selfless.

"Raina Elizabeth Stroescu was diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma early stage 2A on July 30, 2015.  The following week, after undergoing a variety of tests and scans, the staging was confirmed and the course of treatment was set and presented to us by the assigned oncology team. She had her port implanted a few days after, giving herself the new name  “The Terminator”, never doubting that her cancer would be terminated.

And that’s exactly what she did with the help of her wonderful team of doctors and nurses.

In early August she began the difficult journey of healing, starting with two rounds of  chemotherapy,  infusions and prescriptions. While this journey was hard on her and us as parents, Raina nor we ever doubted that the outcome would be anything but positive.

Her first day entering a new high school where she was the “new “ girl was also the day she had to leave early to have her last chemotherapy session of her first round.  There were a lot of firsts and lasts that happened during that week.  Hair loss was a 50/50 possibility and by the end of that week it was evident that she would lose her hair. Again in this moment Raina overcame her fears and dealt with this challenge as she had with all of the diagnosis, in an amazingly positive and confident manner, even throwing in some of her great sense of humor, naming her new wig “Lizzie” …yes she named her wig.  She went to school with a new look, her head held up high and bearing her same familiar smile and positive attitude.

This  amazing attitude, mental toughness and her faith carried her all the way through the second round of chemotherapy.  She continued to go to school and practice with her club soccer team as much as possible on the days she felt good and had enough energy. She even tried out for her high school varsity soccer team as a freshman and ultimately made the team.

Our amazing daughter set an outstanding example for all those around her on how to manage challenges.  Her teammates and friends saw her without her long hair wearing only a Nike headband on her head and saw her JUST DO IT. Her classmates saw her attend class and stick with her projects as best she could.

In October after her chemotherapy ended she had her scans again to find out if the cancer was gone. The chemo worked and thankfully the scans showed no signs of cancer.  Her treatment protocol required follow up with low-dose localized radiation therapy to her neck and upper chest area to ensure that even the tiniest cancer cells that may have been missed by the recent scans after chemotherapy were completely “terminated”.  Radiation was not painful for her but rather time consuming and involved some long-term risks that had to be considered. However, all of us felt very confident in the competency and ability of our excellent medical team at UT Southwestern and getting over this final hurdle.  She completed the radiation treatment plan mid-November right after her 15^th birthday and just in time for a great and very special Thanksgiving celebration.

Raina was asked by her former elementary school to be their honored hero to launch their Pasta for Pennies campaign for LLS. She presented a speech to the school, parents and faculty that day bringing tears to our eyes as she said to them,  “Don’t let your challenges control you. Take control of your challenges”.

Another awesome event was coordinated with her Sting Soccer club team and church youth group as they formed Team Raina to walk in the 2015 Light the Night Walk supporting LLS.

These events were definite highlights as they both raised awareness, especially among her peers, giving Raina the opportunity to share her story of hope.

We are extremely blessed and grateful Raina is cancer free today.  Neither her or us could have gone through this difficult time without great support from family and friends and a wonderfully compassionate medical team…making all the difference in our world.

Raina will be on a maintenance plan of doctor visits, scans and checkups for the next several years but she will keep on shining her loving light as she has since she was born."

Inspired by Raina?  Consider walking alongside her on Sunday, November 6th at the Dallas Mega Walk at Trinity Groves.  Registration is now open.

Hodgkin's Lymphoma Survivor on AMERICAN NINJA WARRIOR

Craig Cornish, an 8-year blood cancer survivor and longtime North Texas Team In Training (TNT) participant and honored hero, is tackling a new challenge: AMERICAN NINJA WARRIOR.  Craig has been selected to participate in the TNT  show's 7th season.  Below he shares his personal battle with blood cancer as he prepares to film on March 27th and 28th in Houston, TX.  Craig says he is dedicating his run to all patients and survivors.  Good luck, Craig! 

"In 2003, I was 14 years old and a high school freshman.  I had been experiencing random fevers for about a year and had no explanation of what was going on other than 'maybe it was just allergies.' After one particular episode, my family went back to the doctor to see if something could be explained. While listening to my breathing, the doctor noticed I had constricted breathing like something was blocking it. He ordered to have a CT scan, thinking I might have pneumonia. After the scan was over, a new doctor that I had never seen before came in and told me that what I had was far worse than pneumonia.  At this point it was too early to tell what it was, so I had test after test and biopsy after biopsy trying to discover what this foreign thing was in my body. Finally the diagnosis came through, I had Stage IV Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

Now at 14 years old and having cancer, of course the first reaction that came to my mind was, 'why?' Utter confusion swept my family and I. All we could do now was proceed with treatments. Throughout my entire battle with cancer, I experienced 14 different types of chemo, three months of radiation, and two bone marrow transplants. The cancer started off as a tumor the size of a softball in the middle of my chest. Eventually it went away but then it came back inside my lungs. At this point we decided to do a stem cell transplant, meaning reinsert my own bone marrow after hitting me with a huge dose of chemo to kill off everything inside of me. It worked, but only for a short year. Later that year I was experiencing an agonizing pain inside my hips and the cancer had come back, inside my bone marrow this time.

At this point in my cancer journey, there were not any more treatments I could go through. I had been through every type of drug there was for my cancer and it was still coming back. As a last resort, we needed a donor bone marrow transplant and a new drug.During my battle there was a very strong chemo drug they had used called VP-16 that created an allergic reaction that almost killed me twice.  It was then that a miracle occurred, through all the research The Leukemia Lymphoma Society funds to find new drugs and treatments, a brand new chemo was developed and it was for my type of cancer. We did a trial run through to test to see how effective it would be, and it reduced the cancer enough that the doctor decided to just hit me with the full blast of it and go with the transplant.

While this is without a doubt the true test of endurance in my life, it was only the beginning for me. I have always been an active person and now after all this,  I was not about to give up on being active and exercising. After the transplant, they told me I would be in the hospital for at least 3 months, and if I was doing well and beginning to eat, I could leave to stay in the Ronald McDonald house down the street since my home was too far. They said I would probably be at the Ronald McDonald house for at least another 3 months recovering and that maybe I would be able to go home after that. Well I proved everyone wrong and defied the odds. I was in the hospital 1 month, and the McDonald house for 1 month and then I was back at home. All because I had the drive that I did not want to be contained in that prison. I hated the fact that I was now limited in what I could do and it just pushed me to try that much harder. 

After finally making it home, I was still home bound trying to let my immune system recover by not exposing myself to too many things that would get myself sick. Finally though I was cleared to go back into school and finish my 5^th year of high school, as the very 1^st year I made it through an entire year of high school without having to leave from getting sick again. Four years of treatments and now my life was ready to begin. I now started to try and get my endurance and athletic ability back, and man was I behind. I was on the soccer team and thankfully the coaches knew exactly who I was and what I had been through, so they let me push myself, and do what I could just to get stronger. Imagine though that you have to watch everyone on the soccer team busting their butts running miles and laps around the field, and I can’t even make it around the soccer field once without wanting to fall over and pass out. I hated that. I hated that everything I was doing seemed so insignificant to everyone because some people had no idea what I been through, and now could see that I looked just as healthy as everyone else, but was far from it. Some people would even see the coaches let me have breaks when no one else could and I just hated the fact that I needed the break. In my mind everyone sees you as slacking off and not giving everything you’ve got. So many times I wished I could just magically get better, but I knew it wouldn’t happen. I also knew this was the rest of my life. I would never be at the same caliber everyone else was, but I didn’t care. As long as I tried, I now had a new mission in life: to push the survivors limits.

So I fight every day to make myself better, and better someone else’s life. I run half marathons, triathlons, and 12 mile obstacle course races all in the name of survivors. I speak at mission moments for fundraising groups, sharing my story, and then going out there and training with them to run half marathons. To this day, I only have 72-74% lung capacity. During my treatment days it was down in the 60s because of the cancer and scar tissue. All the exercise I have done has led some tissue to regenerate, but I will never be at full capacity like someone else. Along with that, my heart has had so much pass through it as well, along with every other organ in my body. I have to be checked the rest of my life to make sure something new doesn’t grow, but also be aware of the toll exercise now has on my body. This is why fatigue sets in really easily on me. So I fight to keep myself in great shape as I possibly can for those survivors out there who may not be as fortunate as I have been. Maybe they just need the proper motivation, and I would be happy to be that motivation. At the trainings and mission moments I've been to, people don’t call me a cancer survivor. They call me a cancer warrior and I am happy and honored to live up to that name and continue the fight. Now I am going to represent all other cancer survivors and warriors at American Ninja Warrior and show the world exactly what survivors can do. My life wasn’t over when I was diagnosed, my life had only just begun!"

Running During Chemo

Angi Hunter with her boys at the Heels and
Hills 10k during treatment.

Angi Hunter did not let a cancer diagnosis, or the fact she was in the middle of treatment, stop her from signing up for a Team In Training event.  In the middle of her chemotherapy treatment, she fundraised for and completed the Hills and Hills 10k in Irving, TX.  Read below as she describes her cancer battle, decision to run, and why she is returning to TNT again.

"'Why I am participating in and fundraising for LLS'

The creative answer...because we just have to keep moving forward...in all things and all situations.

The general public answer...because blood (and other) cancers have touched too many people too close to me for too long.

The personal answer...because I was diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkin's Lymphoma in 2010 and have watched families and friends battles in the years since then  

The long (and short of it)...smelly bathrooms and powerful reminders.  What do smelly bathrooms and powerful reminders have in common?  Anything can be motivation if you choose to view it that way.  Five years ago, I was in so much pain I no longer knew who I was.  My chest radiated pain down my left arm that would often linger up to 5 hours.  I couldn't laugh, cry, inhale, cough or sneeze without grabbing my chest and folding over from the stabbing pain.  I could no longer sleep a full night because taking too deep an inhale while asleep would shoot me out of bed in tears.  Because of constant pain and lack of sleep, I became ugly and angry and unfit to be a good mother to my boys and wife to my husband.  After more than 3 months of pain and sickness, it wasn't easy to receive a cancer diagnosis. Yet, in all the suffering, the diagnosis did offer some light and relief to what felt like a very long, dark struggle.

After my diagnosis, I was so relived to move forward and feel better...anything had to be better than the pain I was in. I had ups and downs but I knew I could handle whatever came next.  I didn't necessarily want to go through the poisonous treatments that were involved...but I knew that it was the right decision for myself and my family.  The process of getting an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan was time consuming and draining.  Many visits to hospitals, doctors and surgeons.  Hours in waiting spaces and sterile rooms away from my sweet boys, family and friends.  And the worst part of it all...smelly bathrooms.  Not smelly in the way you might imagine.  Smelly from the air disinfectant that hospitals use. During chemotherapy some senses dull and other heighten.  My sense of smell was off the charts and the most common things could make my stomach roll.  Oftentimes it was harder to use the restroom than it was to sit for 8 hours a day in a chemo chair.  

Determined to stay upbeat and positive, I decided to do something that supported all those fighting a cancer experience.  I had heard of Team in Training before so it seemed like the perfect time to get active.  I signed up for a local 10k.  I could go through chemo and still complete the Heels and Hills 10k in Irving, TX to raise money for LLS.  I raised well over the fundraising goal and walked and finished the event.  Heels and Hills was a memorable event shared with two friends and my immediate family. A few months after the event, I completed 6 months of chemotherapy and in the recovery years that followed, found a new normal.  

This year marks my 5 year anniversary and "cured" status. I couldn't think of a better way to honor those who continue to fight, those who survived a fight(s) and those who we lovingly remember in our hearts than to do another TNT event.  This time I was determined to run!  Through a neighborhood friend who battled breast cancer and who's daughter battled leukemia (Kelly and Lainey Thomas), I found a TNT coach close to home (Will and Dianna Bacon).  I recruited a friend (Susan Sexton) and signed up for the Cowtown Half Marathon.  Just like owning the challenge of a cancer experience, I am confident with the support of TNT, their amazing Coaches and team members, I can complete the challenge of running 13.1 miles.  As anyone who has kicked cancer knows, accomplishing your goals can be done when your heart is in it!  I may run slow, funny and with some aches and pains but at least I'm out of that chemo chair! 

To this day, a smelly (hospital) bathroom can take hold of me if I let it.  When the nauseousness sets in, I take a moment to be thankful for my health and show gratitude for the past experience. I use the same approach when my body wants to quit during the longer miles of my Half Marathon training.  I remind myself how far I've come.  I thank my body for what it has done, thank the chemo chair and call to mind those who still fight!  As I look to today's daily inspiration by Alan Weiss, it couldn't be more fitting: 'It's not what happens to you, it's what you do before it, during it and after it.'"

Meet the 2015 Spirit of Tom Landry Award Recipient: Brooklynn Alexander

The Spirit of Tom Landry Character Award honors a youth with courage, integrity, dignity and dauntless spirit who has battled blood cancer through personal experience or who has volunteered extensively on behalf of others who suffer from blood cancer.

Mrs. Alicia Landry selects the recipient of this award for the Saint Valentine's Day Luncheon and Fashion Show to benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society every year.  This year she selected Brooklynn Alexander, a stage 2 Hodgkin's lymphoma survivor.

Brooklynn was a very busy 15-year-old when she received her diagnosis.  She was was in the top 15% of her class, treasurer of the student council, a member of the regional choir and on the varsity soccer team at MacArthur High School.  She did not have time for a blood cancer diagnosis.

Right away she realized how much her life would change during her cancer treatment.  She had to stop playing soccer because she didn't have the energy to run and she missed choir auditions because radiation treatment temporarily took her voice.  Even with these setbacks, Brooklynn decided that she was going to pour all of her energy into school work so she would not fall behind.  Her dedication paid off!  She graduated magna cum laude in the top 8% of her class and was inducted into the National Honor Society.

Brooklynn, who has been in remission now for two years, is now a freshman at the University of Kansas and is just as community minded as she was before her lymphoma diagnosis.  She is involved with the Freshman Action Team and active in a youth help call line called BALLEN (Building A Life Lifting Educated Nation).  Her efforts with BALLEN were noticed and this November she will have her own radio show once a month where she shares her personal experiences in an effort to help other students.

This extraordinary young woman certainly embodies everything that the Spirit of Tom Landry Award represents.  Meet Brooklynn at the 2015 Saint Valentine's Day Luncheon & Fashion Show on February 17th.  Reserve your seat today at www.stvalentinesdayluncheon.org

Freebie Friday: Celebrating Male Survivors

November has come to represent more than Thanksgiving and the kick-off of the Christmas season in the United States.  For many, November has transformed into Movember - a month about raising awareness of men's health issues.  Here at The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) we are taking this month as an opportunity to celebrate male blood cancer survivors.

CELEBRATING SURVIVORS

Today Zach Rigby is a senior at the University of Texas, the Vice President of the Silver Spurs (a student organization dedicated to the care of Bevo), and most importantly, a survivor.  Zach was diagnosed with adult Hodgkin's lymphoma on his 16th birthday.  After a difficult treatment plan, he was declared to be in remission and has been living an active, healthy lifestyle ever since.

Zach's father, Steve Rigby, is currently the chairman of the North Texas Board of Trustees.  Recently the Rigby family hosted Bevo at a fundraiser before the University of Texas vs. New Mexico State game and raised $7,500 at the event for pediatric blood cancer research.

We are thrilled to count Zach among the thousands of blood cancer survivors in North Texas.

Mother's Day Profile: Jane Beeson

When I was three and my sister was eight months old, suffered the loss of our mother at the tender age of 26 years old from ovarian cancer. This was the major event of my life. The loss of my mother has had an effect on every aspect of my life. The life that followed her death was anything but normal. My dad did his very best but his manly ways often fell short of a mother’s touch. Believe me we have stories! We were the original latch keys kids. I grew up way before my time. My childhood was stolen by cancer. Because my life growing up was so abnormal, I longed for normalcy. So, it is no surprise that I married a doctor, had two children, a girl and a boy, and lived in suburbia. The Kool-aid mom.

This was what I always wanted. I loved to cook, sew, and garden. This authentic Southern lady came by it naturally being born in Mobile, Alabama. And so it went for about 20 years. Then as fate would have it, I was cooking dinner when I discovered a lump on my neck. Not really suspecting cancer, I went to get it checked out. They did a biopsy and gave me a diagnosis of a very rare benign cancer of the nerve sheath. I decided to go for a second opinion and made the appointment. Right before the appointment, being Christmas time and all, I decided to have the surgery in my home town, since it was benign. One day before the surgery, the head of the head and neck department at MD Anderson called me personally and urged me to keep the second opinion appointment before the surgery. If anyone knows anything about medical office procedure, often the doctor does not know when a patient cancels an appointment. I felt this was divine intervention. I was on my way to MD Anderson within two hours. After five biopsies,( apparently the tumor was very difficult to reach, tucked in behind a neck muscle), the tests revealed Hodgkin Lymphoma.

My life and my family’s life turned on a dime. How could this be… not now. It was Christmas, this was my daughter’s senior year in high school, my son was playing varsity sports. Could cancer again steal from my life and the lives of my children? The answer was yes. Due to the fact that I was not responsive to treatment, I had numerous chemotherapies, radiation and ended with a bone marrow transplant. I lived for the most part of a year in Houston, TX - eight hours away from my home and family. This obviously had a great impact on my children. I missed my daughter’s high school graduation, against medical advice I went to her Deb presentation in a medical mask, only to have to go to the hospital the very next day. We were all striving to keep the family going. My husband moved my daughter to UT in Austin. It was very hard for me to miss these milestones. With the seriousness of my illness, my daughter found it hard to focus on her studies, and decided to leave UT and come home to go to a local college to be by me. I read in a book that children can take a parent’s diagnosis in different ways. The author said some children act out with reckless behavior, in a way saying take me instead. That was very true in regard to my son. And because of his struggles, the situation was getting out of control. My husband put him in military school. My son took my diagnosis very hard. I will never forget the day that he spoke of anything related to my cancer diagnosis. Believe it or not, it was a year after I was home. As I was getting ready to go to a check- up he walked into the kitchen and casually said, 'I hope your check-up goes good Mom.' I just kept making the sandwich, but my heart was so touched. We were moving forward. It had been so hard for him to talk about it. Amazing how maturity can make a difference. His favorite saying now days is "Adjust and Conquer".

After my recovery, it was my passion to do everything in my power to help others diagnosed with cancer and their families. I formed a non-profit organization in my home town, and today I have been working with those impacted by cancer for almost eight years with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. So as Mother’s Day approaches, instead of gifts, I urge everyone to think about giving the gift of time. When cancer strikes it steals time from our lives. Through cancer research we can change this.

Consider making a donation in memory or in honor of a mother in your life. She could have been stricken with this disease herself, she could have been a caregiver, or if cancer has not touched your family, this donation goes a long way to make sure it never does.

Mother and grandmother cherishing every moment,

Jane Beeson

If you would like to take time to honor a mother, like Jane, in your life please consider making a donation to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society this Mother's Day.

Make a donation online and a letter of recognition of your gift will be sent to the mother you are honoring with your donation. You are also welcome to mail in a donation to: LLS, Attn: Mother's Day, 8111 LBJ Fwy., Ste 425, Dallas, TX 75251.

Thank you and Happy Mother's Day from the North Texas Chapter of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Mother's Day Profile: Shaena Campbell

Below is a Facebook post by Shaena Campbell on Wednesday, May 1, 2013.  Her daughter, Shadoh, is currently at MD Anderson in Houston awaiting a stem cell transplant after her second round of Hodgkin's lymphoma.  Shadoh, who is also a mother, is 23 years old.

This week she [Shadoh] is finishing up on some necessary testing and we have a few classes to take (on transplant care, etc) Friday (as in day after tomorrow) she will be admitted and Saturday (-1 day) she will receive her first dose of high dosage chemotherapy. She will receive high dosage chemo everyday for six days, making the last one given Thursday, May 9 (day 0). The transplant will begin May 10th (+1 day).

Wow. It's here. The day we have fervently prayed for and I feel excited and sick at the same time (and I'm not gonna lie...weighing heavy on the sick). Your gut and your heart seem to have a HUGE connection when it comes to these matters. They both feel very uneasy. ~ Specific prayer request: for Shadoh to be able to keep the same 'push through' attitude and unwavering stamina. I know she's tired and I know she's scared. As her momma, that rips at my soul to its very depth. I have no way to tell her how she may feel or any stories to share that may relate. I am sitting in my closet with the doors shut so she can't hear me cry. How can I tell her everything's going to be fine when I am terrified?  I know. I've been here. I get up outta the floor, wipe my face, pray for strength and have faith. He has never let me down before. He knows my heart and mind right now. Also, praying all goes as smooth as glass Saturday.

I will be flying home for Sage's prom [Shadoh's sister] and Shadoh will have her boyfriend and numerous other family members here for the first day. I have consulted with her doctor and he assures me all will be fine. Juggling not missing everything of my Sage & Shel while being in Houston is almost impossible, it seems. My heart literally aches at times. Shadoh said I never missed her prom and she didn't want me to miss her sisters, either. So, praying for a smooth first day of chemo, beautiful prom for Sage and a few minutes spent with Sheltyn Brynne, too. There are so many more, I will start with those specific ones today. I am eternally humbled and grateful for the AMAZING amount of support our family has been given. We are blessed beyond measure. I know there are so many of you helping him...thank you, thank you, thank you!! Much love and gratitude.

If you would like to take time to honor a mother, like Shaena, in your life please consider making a donation to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society this Mother's Day.

Make a donation

online and a letter of recognition of your gift will be sent to the mother you are honoring with your donation. You are also welcome to mail in a donation to: LLS, Attn: Mother's Day, 8111 LBJ Fwy., Ste 425, Dallas, TX 75251.

Thank you and Happy Mother's Day from the North Texas Chapter of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.