EDUCATORS WITHOUT BORDERS

The Marathon of Hope

Learning from those who conquered disease?

By Prof. Talaat I. Farag

No one is immune from having a health crisis at some point in her/his life journey. Babies may be born with major congenital anomalies, children in the pre-school age may suffer from autism, accidents may occur at any age, and with increasing life expectancies, many diseases like cancer and Alzheimer's are much more common today. In this section we present a countdown of eight inspirational stories of heroism over debilitating physical ailments. The following real-life stories illustrate the remarkable achievements of different people suffering from varying health problems and serve as examples of how crises can be overcome. Their extraordinary achievements featured here, the Canadian runner Terry Fox and American cyclist Lance Armstrong have become two of the most prominent symbols in the battle against disease in the modern age.

Kevin defrosts blindness and deafness

In March 2002, Kevin Frost, 37, a long-time hockey referee was diagnosed with Usher's Syndrome, which affects hearing and sight. Already hard of hearing since childhood, he was left with just 8% of his vision. He could not continue in the grocery store where he had worked for 16 years. Today Kevin Frost, father of three young children, and legally blind and deaf, spends his days trying to complete the conversion from the hockey rink to the smooth efficient laps of a speed skater. Competing in the master's division this season, he captured two silver medals and a fifth place finish in meets across Ontario. He said, "what can I see when I am on the ice? Whatever's in front of my tunnel vision. If they are beside or behind me I don't hear or see them until they pass me." He carries a pair of opaque glasses with a pinhole in each eye and a pair of ear muffs. Kevin Frost's disability came after a major health problem that left him legally blind and deaf. His success despite these obstacles is an inspiration for everyone with a health crisis.

Quadriplegic Man Determined to Climb Mountains

Brad Zdanivsky broke his neck at the fifth vertebrae and became permanently paralyzed and quadriplegic, after a car accident in 1994 when he was 18 years old. The first year University of British Columbia student did a major effort to train himself during the rehabilitation stage to become a climber for more than a decade after the accident. He attempted to climb the Grand Wall of the Stawamus Chief, the 700-metre granite mountain that towers above Squeamish. He used equipment developed for paraplegics, after spending almost a decade training his muscles and creating a new climbing technique for the attempt, as well as inventing climbing equipment to suit his body's abilities. He uses his shoulders and thumbs to push down a pulley system, that moves him skyward at around 30cm per push. He wants in the future to climb El Cabitan at Yosemite National Park in California, the largest monolith in the US. Brad remembers that he had been a climber as a kid. However, following his debilitating accident, Brad recalls, "Following six months in rehab, my mountains were now sitting up, feeding myself grapes, moving coloured pegs on a board -- mundane tasks. Rehab was about teaching myself tricks to compensate for my lack of function."

The reasons why he climbs haven't changed, they continue to inspire him to return to the most inaccessible of places. He has created an organization called Vertical Challenge (www.verticalchallenge.org), which is a project working to get him to achieve the unachievable. On the website, Brad states that his goal of climbing Stawamus Chief, "will be a world's first for someone with my high level of disability and will set a precedence for even more daunting challenges."

Petitclerc wheels over disability to win Olympic medals

Recently at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, Chantal Petitclerc of Montreal dominated women's wheelchair racing winning five gold medals. Due to her resilience and achievements, she was honoured with the prestigious 2005 Laureus World Sports Award for the top sportsperson with a disability during the ceremony held in Estoril, Portugal. She has defied her physical circumstances to set new world records, capture gold medals and become a top female athlete. She is the epitome of determination, perseverance and discipline. As a paraplegic from the age of 13, Chantal set about on a mission of success to test her limits with her passion for sports. Chantal Petitclerc has participated in the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the World Championships, the Commonwealth Games, and some of the most prestigious marathons. Canadian magazine, Macleans named Chantal the Canadian of the Year, not only for her victories in Athens but the honourable way she handled the Athletics Canada athlete-of-the-year situation. Chantal is a great Canadian athlete and wheelchair racing specialist. A bilingual spokesperson for causes close to her heart, she also gives inspiring presentations on her athletic experiences as an ambassador for the disabled in sports.

Wendy Mesley's Story

The high profile Canadian Broadcasting Corporation broadcaster Wendy Mesley who discovered a lump in one of her breasts, which proved to be malignant. Fortunately the cancer had not spread yet with neither affected lymph nodes or far metastasis. The early diagnosis and her family support during every step of chemotherapy and radiation helped her to regain her smile with her beloved mother, Joan, who was with her during every step of chemotherapy and radiation. Mass education advising people to add vegetables and fruits to their diets, more than a bag of chips or a bottle of pop, and to restore physical education to the core school curriculum. Early diagnosis of breast cancer will offer better prognosis.

Cervical Cancer

Recently, Merck discovered a vaccine that offers near 100% prevention of cancerous cervical lesions in females. An experimental Merck & Co. Inc. vaccine completely prevented early-stage cervical cancer and precancerous cervical lesions caused by the two most common forms of a virus linked to such cancers. The ability to prevent onset of cervical cancers, at least for the short term, was shown in a late-stage trial sponsored by the U.S. drug maker. It included more than 12,000 women from 13 countries, aged 16 to 26, who were not infected with either of the virus types when the trial began. The two forms of sexually transmitted human papilloma virus, types 16 and 18, are responsible for an estimated 70 percent of cervical cancer cases and are the targets of Merck's Gardasil vaccine. Such cancers kill about 300,000 women worldwide each year, including almost 4,000 in the United States, Merck said.

Prostate Cancer

One in 7 Canadian men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point during their lives. Dr. Robert Shiell, the president of the Canadian Prostate Cancer Network (CPCN), mentioned that, "like breast cancer, prostate cancer is usually curable in its earliest stages. Prostate cancer has no symptoms during this period, so detection depends completely on getting to the doctor yearly and asking for a prostate test. This is especially true for men over the age of 40. Everyday one of our 18,000 affiliated members nationwide, reach out to help a man whose life is threatened. Our 125 support groups across Canada provide access to up-to-date medical information on treatments." Estimates show that last year, more than 20,500 Canadian men were diagnosed with prostate cancer. There is no doubt that raising awareness on this disease will help lead to greater levels of its early detection, prevention and cure. The Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) Test, a highly sensitive test that detects a distinct chemical produced by prostate tumour cells, remains the best biological marker for the early detection of the cancer, usually before it is palpable.

Early diagnosis can help in the prognosis. Treatment can be offered through a standard surgical approach or Brachytherapy, which involves the implantation of radioactive seeds in or near the tumour. All men over 40 years are advised that if they are getting their blood pressure tested, then it would be wise to get the PSA test done as well. Dr. David Bell, associate professor of urology at Dalhousie University said, "support groups for men are a relatively new concept. Men generally don't like getting together to talk about manly problems. It is very helpful for patients to talk to someone who is not a doctor, who has gone through the treatments and experienced the side-effects. It is very therapeutic since it provides emotional support to affected men and their families."

The pharmaceutical giant, AstraZeneca Canada, published a 52-page book entitled, "Prostate Cancer - A booklet for patients," which is available free-of-charge through the CPCN, the national association of prostate cancer support groups. The book is aimed at newly diagnosed patients, describing various methods of treatment for the disease. It is written in layman's language and available in English and French. It helps the patients understand the disease and make decisions. Intensive research by Canadian pharmaceutical companies is in progress, searching for new therapeutics for prostate cancer. Both Abbott and AstraZeneca Canada are investigating new hormonal therapies.

Terry's Army and Phenomenon

More than 10,000 Canadian school children marched in Terry Fox's memory. The commemorative "Marathon of Hope" also took place in another 59 countries, beginning their runs from the Canadian Embassy, to raise money for cancer research. Twenty-five years after Terry Fox began his historic run for a cancer cure, research advances have improved survivor rates for many common cancers. In Cuba last year, 1.9 million rounded-up for the Terry Fox Run. There is no doubt that the Marathon of Hope and support of cancer research created new revolutionary cancer therapies.

It was on April 12, 1980 that Terry Fox, began his gruelling cross-country trek in St. John's, Newfoundland to raise funds for the Canadian Cancer Society. He had lost his right lower limb because of cancer began the Marathon of Hope 25 years ago to raise money to battle this disease. During his historic "Marathon for Hope," Terry started most mornings at 5am and went on until he was exhausted, and went to bed at about 8pm. The world will remember the day he arrived just outside of Thunderbay at summer's end in 1980, he had two tumours in his lung, each the size of a tennis ball. He pushed his cancer ridden body for 143-days over 5373-kms of Canada's rugged heartland. He died on 28 June, 1981.

September 16 has now become the largest one-day cancer research fundraiser, and the greatest display of human unity in history. Two days later on September 18, 2005, a cross-Canada celebration of the 25th anniversary of Terry Fox Marathon of Hope was launched. His mother, Betty Fox patted the cheek of a new statue for her son that was unveiled in Victoria, BC when she unveiled a life-size statute of her one-legged hero. In the Terry Fox National School Run Day, where more than 3 million Canadians ran in this marathon. Monuments of this kind to honour Fox's perseverance and determination have been erected in several Canadian cities including Victoria, St. John, and in Ottawa across from Parliament Hill

Terry's message to everyone was: "Anything is possible. Look to me. They told me I could not be an athlete anymore and I am running on one-leg. Don't give up, don't give up, fighting cancer. Dream to be whatever you want to be." The Terry Fox Foundation has raised more than $360 million dollars.

Lance Armstrong outlasts testicular cancer

The 33-years-old Texan cyclist, Lance Armstrong was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1996 when he was 24. It spread quickly to his body and metastases appeared both in his lungs and brain. A dozen of tumours, the size of golf balls, were removed. He was given a 50% chance of survival. He underwent four rounds of draining and intensive chemotherapy, and in six months, he was back on his bike, pushing his body to the limits. In 1998, he won a 56-km race in Texas and in 1999 he won the gem of bicycle road racing, the Tour de France, for the first time. In celebration of his victory - over cancer, not the Tour - he established an international foundation to benefit cancer research, promote awareness and early detection. He maintains an internet site that provides education and inspiration to those diagnosed with cancer. The great iconic hero believes that cancer is no longer a death sentence. He eclipsed the career record for Tour de France titles, when he won it for the sixth time in 2004. Lance Armstrong, who has almost single-handedly revitalized the greatest race in cycling, won the United States Sports Academy 2004 Male Athlete of the Year award for his achievements for a second time. Four riders had won the Tour five times: Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Indurain. Lance Armstrong managed to finish his professional bike racing career last July by winning  his 7th consecutive Tour de France. With this title, he has become the oldest winner of the race in the modern era. Interestingly, Armstrong was nominated for Time Kids magazine's Person of the Year for his inspirational role. He ranked second in the voting while US President Bush ranked fifth!

In order to conquer health crises, we must focus on preventive measures; early diagnosis and appropriate management. Mass education programs are highly essential in order to offer people with accurate data which will help them avoiding health problems and offer "crisis counselling" in others. 

Prof. Talaat I. Farag, MD, FRCP, FACP, FACMG is a former adjunct professor at Dalhousie University in Canada. He is the founder of The Ambassadors Research Foundation in 1998. Email: tfarag@dal.ca. 

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