Survivor Profile: Kate Giles

Kate Giles, 21, left

Kate Giles is your average American girl. She loves to travel and go to concerts. She is frequently listening to music on her iPod. Shopping is a cherished pastime. But she fought a war that no child should have to endure.

“Although I was very young when I went through my surgery and radiation, I do remember trying to stay as positive as possible for the sake of my family, and did my best to persevere throughout the entire endeavor.  I think these are both important things to try to do when one in struggling with cancer,” said Giles, 21, a senior at the University of Georgia majoring in international affairs.

Her positivity clearly paid off. After being diagnosed with brain cancer at the age of 5, Giles is a 16-year cancer survivor. Her journey began when her family noticed that she was experiencing curious, subtle seizures. A weekend spent with her family and aunt turned into a nightmare. Giles and her family drove over 100 miles from Auburn, Al., to Children’s Hospital in Birmingham, Al., only to be greeted with tests that confirmed she had a malignant brain tumor.

“The diagnosis was definitely shocking for my immediate and extended family and close family friends since I was an otherwise healthy 5-year-old child at the time,” said Giles.

Following an operation in May 1994, Giles endured a subsequent three months of radiation treatment. She and her parents travelled to and from Birmingham multiple times each week. While the cancer itself was a burden, this took an added toll on Giles’ family. In order to care for her younger sister, her grandparents moved into her house. And while the surgery and radiation therapy were extremely effective, the enter process truly tested Giles’ family, especially her parents. They warmly welcomed a return to normalcy after months of coping with the cancer and all that came with it.

“I was very lucky to have the support of my family and friends, which can make even an experience as dreadful as cancer much easier than it could be without the help from loved ones,” Giles said.

Growing up as a cancer survivor, Giles found strength and exhilaration attending Relay for Life events. She attended her first Relay as a 10-year-old and was the youngest survivor at the event, which she playfully described as a “really cool feeling.” She has since attended five more Relays. She describes the Survivor Lap as her favorite part of the event, a truly special moment especially because she is able to share the experience with other survivors.

Attending the University of Georgia opened up all new opportunities for Giles. “I have never experienced anything quite like my first Relay at UGA. I would definitely encourage any who is thinking about participating in the event to do so because whether you are a survivor or not, it’s a night that few others will be able to surpass,” she said.

While Giles donates time and raises money for UGA Relay, she is also involved with the UGA chapter of Colleges Against Cancer.

Kate and I before the Survivor Lap at UGA Relay 2009.

In fact, she and I met at a survivor banquet hosted by CAC, one of three such banquets that she has attended. These organizations have provided Giles with invaluable connections to other cancer survivors. Giles believes that these connections are vital for cancer survivors because survival stories provide a common ground and basis for meaningful, long-lasting relationships.

Participation in UGA Relay and CAC have illustrated for Giles just how special it is to be a cancer survivor. “Not only have these organizations provided me with outlets to connect with other survivors, but they have also allowed me to realize how important it is to share my message with others and do my best to offer support and hope to anyone who is in the situation that I was in at one point in my life,” she said.

Changing the Channel on Cancer

Luminaries on the bleachers. They were later rearranged to say "CURE".

It finally happened!!! UGA’s Relay for Life was Friday night, and let me tell you…it was hands down one of the best nights of my entire life, so I’m dedicating this post to it. I can relive my night and give all of you just a small taste of what Relay is all about. This year’s theme was “Changing the Channel on Cancer,” so most of the teams picked a television show and centered their outfits and tents around that show. The winning team was Saved by the Cure (clever!).

Started off the night with Ellie, my “honorary” caregiver. We ate a delicious barbeque dinner and got some pretty sweet S.W.A.G. (Stuff We All Get…The Office, anyone?), including some awesome tote bags, a lunchbox, a “Survivor” car decal, and a couple free Victoria’s Secret make up bags! We walked around the track a few times before everyone started arriving. My family got there just in the nick of time, minus my sister Erin, who was singing with the chorus in Disney World.

Opening Ceremonies got everyone pumped up, and we got to hear the story of this year’s Honorary Chair, Mary Evelyn King, a 7-year-old battling neuroblastoma. She and her parents are an inspiration. Having relapsed after four years of remission, Mary Evelyn told cancer that she beat it once, and she was going to beat it again!

Next came what I find to be the most emotional part of the night – the Survivor Lap and the Caregiver Lap. I almost choked up a few times as the other survivors and I walked the inaugural lap. As soon as I saw my family, I lost it and cried through the entire Caregiver Lap (it didn’t help that the song being played was “Fix You” by Coldplay – gets me every time). Having everyone at Relay cheering you on and being able to share such a special moment with the people who did everything in their power to keep you alive is a beautiful thing.

Dancing with my little sister.

But after that, things got crazy! The first band, The Less, began playing. People participated in Spirit Laps, which were introduced throughout the night. These laps have special themes such as a ballroom dancing lap, a leapfrog lap, and a “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” lap. The celebration of life was officially on!

I waited around, danced, and laughed with friends before making my way over to the stage to share my story. Being able to finally

recant my story gave me a sense of release and freedom that is indescribable. And to know that my friends and family were there celebrating my victory made it that much more intense.

A little while later, the luminaries were lit and we took one more symbolic lap. The purpose of the silent lap is to reflect and honor those that lost their battle with cancer.

From that point on, however, it was one huge party! There were performances from the Dance Dawgs, Tap Dawgs, and Red Hotz. I just about killed myself dancing to Velvet Runway, who performed exhilarating renditions of classic 80′s songs. Mike-E and Afroflow combined modern hip hop with traditional Ethiopian music, and they taught the crowd dances too!

Giving my speech.

Unfortunately, the rain arrived earlier than expected, and Relay ended early. But before everything wrapped up, we watched the Junkyard Dawgs perform some crazy breakdancing moves and were then pulled up on stage (along with a lot of other people) to dance with them! It was insane. I had a smile on my face the entire night. This was a great way to end it – doing something I would never normally do!

And the best part? Well, the whole purpose of Relay for Life is to raise money for cancer research through the American Cancer Society. This was the 11th UGA Relay, and in the 10 previous years, we were unable to break a threshold of $300,000. Want to know how much money was raised this year?

Could not have asked for a better success! Thank you to Relay for Life and my friends and family for making this a night I will always remember. And thanks to Ashten for the pictures (except for that last one)!

For those of you that couldn’t make it this year, you should definitely look into it for next year. Check out UGA Relay’s website (or find your local Relay) and see how you can get involved! Also be sure to see their Facebook page to look at tons of pictures from Friday night.

CAUTION: Weekend Binges

College students, listen up! You might want to think twice before having those few extra drinks during your weekend escapades. Not only could you age prematurely, but you may also increase your risk of developing cancer.

Why? Well, we all know the typical side effects of overindulging in alcohol – weight gain, liver damage, nasty hangovers, and maybe ending up in a few places you never wanted to find yourself. But a recent study supports previous speculation that heavy consumption of alcohol can actually damage vital parts of our DNA called telomeres.

Umm…ok. So what in the world are telomeres? Here’s a great description from the University of Utah:

Telomeres have been compared with the plastic tips on shoelaces because they prevent chromosome ends from fraying and sticking to each other, which would scramble an organism’s genetic information to cause cancer, other diseases or death.

When these telomeres get too short, it becomes impossible for your cells to divide. And if your cells can no longer divide, they either enter an inactive state or they die. To avoid death, cells can become cancerous, and doing this keeps the telomeres from getting any shorter. From that point on, it’s full speed ahead. All mitosis, all the time.

Where exactly does alcohol come into play? Heavy drinking is linked to stress and inflammation. Stress and inflammation, in turn, are linked to telomere shortening. For more detailed information on telomeres, check out the U of U’s site on genetics. And if you’re interested in the science and research, here is the abstract from the study, which was presented at the American Association for Cancer Research 101st Annual Meeting.

Go out, have fun, make moments you may never remember…but keep yourself in check.

Inspiring, Informative, Interesting, Vol. 3

Want to read something different? Here are 10 suggestions I have for blogs/specific posts. Enjoy!

I’m really becoming a fan of the Cancer Blog. In this post, Amber Greviskes provides some simple but extremely important tips to reduce your risk of cancer. The tips are great for implementing a healthy lifestyle!

A new post from Jenn, fellow thyroid cancer survivor, lets us know that she will be an honorary speaker at Relay for Life at Johns Hopkins University. This is great! Congratulations to Jenn…funny that we’re both speaking at Relay this year!

Here’s another post from the Lance Armstrong Foundation’s blog.  They offer some great fundraising tips and a short video, too! Their first example? A work sponsored “Dress Down Day.” Sounds like fun to me!

A new post from the Carcinista talks about “Laughter Yoga” as a form of therapy. The idea is that laughter, even fake laughter, can improve how we feel. Unfortunately, the author’s experience wasn’t quite what she expected. Makes you think – could this really work? Or is it just ridiculous?

Another blog post on yoga comes from Robin’s blog “Death by Lettuce“: In this post, she discusses Yoga Bear, a non-profit organization that aims to provide yoga classes to cancer patients. Even if you aren’t good at yoga, it’s a great way to connect with other people!

Great post from Ann of the Breast Cancer Blog comparing cancer to an experience she had with….a bug? After a wasp landed on her side window, she watched as it stayed there through most of her commute home. The wasp finally flew away when she stopped at a red light. Sounds like a pretty normal occurrence, right? Check out Ann’s excellent metaphor of the bug as cancer.

Julie Olsen discusses her journey with cancer on her blog. She discusses something that I have experienced as well. As a cancer survivor, it’s common to adopt a warrior attitude. But warriors still worry. Every little thing can make you think the cancer has returned. Check out her post!

True Cancer News brings up an interesting topic. Apparently, people who drink at least two sugary soft drinks each day are at an increased risk for developing pancreatic cancer. Check out this post for more details and a link to a news story about the issue.

This blog is written by the parents of Will, a 5-year-old boy diagnosed with neuroblastoma as a baby. I love this post in particular because it shows how, even though he’s been affected by cancer, Will is still a cute, silly little boy. I think it reminds the rest of us that cancer does not have to take over our lives.

This post from a survivor of breast cancer is rather short, but offers up a great opportunity. As a cancer survivor, you can submit your photo and story to The New York Times!

The Best Week Ever!

My first post this week is going to be short, sweet, and to the point.

UGA Relay has several events going on this week as a part of their Best Week Ever. If you are a student at the University of Georgia or live near the Athens area, I highly recommend taking part in at least one of these events! The Relay for Life organization here at UGA is phenomenal and truly makes cancer survivors feel special not just at Relay but throughout the entire year. Every Relay event that I have been to has been a blast, both for fellow survivors and for supporters.

Here is the list of events (via the Facebook event page, see link above):

• Sunday, April 18 (This one is already over, but the idea is great, so I’m posting it here anyway) – “Pimp My Ride” in the Stevi B’s parking lot. Get your car decorated from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. for a free Chik-fil-A coupon. Then stay for a percentage night at Jason’s Deli from 5:00 – 9:00 p.m.
• Monday, April 19 – Relay Rave at 12:00 p.m. on the SLC lawn. Join “Relay’s Best Dance Crew” in a rave on campus!
• Tuesday, April 20 – Laser tag at Myers Quad, 7:00 – 10:00 p.m.
• Wednesday, April 21 – True Life at North Campus stairs, 10:00 – 2:00 p.m. They’ll have a giant luminary set up, and you can contribute to the Hope Boards and get free icy pops! Perfect for a hot, Georgia day.
• Thursday, April 22 – Relay Parade at various locations around Athens, 12:00 p.m.
• Friday, April 23 – The big night! Relay for Life! 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. at the newly renovated UGA track.

Seriously guys, try to make it to some of these. I can almost guarantee they’ll be a blast. If anything, come to Relay for Life! I’ll be speaking around 8:45 p.m. Bring a few bucks and buy some food or play games at the various tents set up around the track. Listen to the awesome bands and watch the entertainment. Stay for a few hours or for the entire night! UGA Relay is the biggest relay event in the country and was the first college relay event! Last year, UGA Relay raised over $250,000!!

For those of you not at UGA or Athens, what type of events have you done or will you do to prep for your own local Relay for Life? Got any unique ideas that you want to see happen in the future?

How Diabetes Saved My Life (Or: Why Going to the Doctor is SO Important)

I’ve decided to take a different route with my post today and discuss something that can affect everyone, and that has extreme personal relevance for me.

Diabetes saved my life.

Now, I haven’t come to accept my other disease as much as I have embraced and accepted my cancer survivorship, but for all the ways that diabetes could make my life more difficult or kill me, it has also kept me alive.

If you read “My Story” you can get a more detailed account. But sticking to basic facts, I got diabetes when I was nearly 11. When I was 12, I was at an endocrinology appointment for the diabetes when my doctor found my tumor. Had I not had that appointment, who knows when the tumor would’ve been found or if it would have metastasized.

So in the same way that a semi-normal check-up played such a huge role in my life, it can do the same for anyone else. My advice? Have check-ups on a regular basis!

Just because you are an adult now and don’t have a parent dragging you in to see the pediatrician despite your protests does not mean that you should only see a doctor when you are sick. Having routine check-ups or physical exams once or twice a year allows you to keep track of your health. Even if your doctor doesn’t find something as life-threatening as a tumor, you may learn that, hey, you should probably exercise a little more to lower that cholesterol.

Preventative care is the best kind of care – you can get rid of health detriments before you might have to experience them. Because really, what’s worse? Spending a little time once or twice a year in a doctor’s office, or spending time in the hospital once you find something too late?

Just something to think about. And while you’re thinking about it, enjoy this silly video from Johnson & Johnson about visiting the doctor. Or if you’re looking for something a bit more serious, check out the second video. It discusses a more specific topic: why routine physicals are so important for men.

To Tan or Not to Tan?

We’ve all heard for years and years that visiting the tanning salon (note: this guy is opinionated!) can lead to the development of certain types of skin cancer. However, I also think it seems like an “empty threat” to most young people.

“I’m going to get skin cancer? Yeah, right. I haven’t gotten it yet. I don’t know anybody that’s gotten it from tanning.”

Sure, you might not immediately develop an odd-looking mole, but after a certain length of time, developing some type of pre-cancerous or cancerous skin cell is nearly inevitable. And getting it later doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be in your 50s when the cancer cells rear their ugly heads.

Check out this video. I think it can really put things in perspective for people in their teens and 20s because it briefly profiles a 21-year-old woman who developed melanoma after using tanning salons on a consistent basis.

According to the video, tanning before age 35 increases the risk of developing melanoma by 75%. Pretty scary number! But let’s play devil’s advocate and put this in perspective. Here are some stats on melanoma (this is just one type of skin cancer) from the American Cancer Society (2009):

• New cases = 68,720
• Deaths per year = 8,650
• 5-year overall survival rate = 91%

The United States population in 2009 was approximately 307 million, so what do these numbers mean in comparison to the entire country?

• New cases = about .02% of population
• Deaths per year = about .003% of population
• 1.5% of all cancer-related deaths in 2009

This begs the question: Is it worth making such a big deal out of tanning salons based on these numbers? My answer is ABSOLUTELY YES! We should not take any numbers for granted because even if a cancer is rare, it affects everyone in one way or another (I like to compare this to “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon“). More importantly, those numbers only represent a small portion of skin cancers that can be acquired from tanning. For example, non-melanoma skin cancer accounts for about 1 million cancer diagnoses every year. And can you get this from tanning? You betcha.

Here’s one solution that’s been in the news lately. Part of the recently passed healthcare bill proposes a 10% tax on tanning services to dissuade people from using tanning salons. Is this a good solution to the problem? Maybe, maybe not. According to Jan Meshon (see video above; he is also quoted in the link above), the government already has plenty of restrictions on tanning and salons just need to be more responsible.

So here are my typical questions: What do you think? Who really needs to be responsible: individuals, salons, the government, or some combination of the three? Would these stats effectively deter you from tanning in any way? Other thoughts?

Protect your skin, protect your life!