A Cancer Survivor and 8-time marathoner speaks out about the importance of cancer screenings.
Serena William once said, “Never Give Up: I really think a champion is defined not by their wins but by how they can recover when they fall.”
Today, I sat down to speak with another champion who is not simply a survivor, she’s a thriver, as you will see from her incredible interview below. Indeed, four-time cancer survivor and marathon runner Erin Geddis Cummings was happy to talk about her personal journey with cancer and why she’s encouraging people to stay vigilant about their own cancer screenings and follow-up appointments.
To backtrack a bit…Erin’s journey began with a devastating diagnosis when she was in high school. Despite the challenges and setbacks, she experienced because of her early cancer treatments, Erin remained positive and determined to make the most of each day.
As a cancer survivor, Erin’s health remains a priority for her, which includes staying on top of her routine cancer screenings and follow-up appointments. We know that cancer screenings have gone down significantly in the U.S. since the start of COVID-19 due to delays or cancellations and Erin knows firsthand how these appointments play a critical role in the detection and treatment of cancer.
That’s why Erin wants to remind people to speak with their doctors about these cancer screenings and follow-ups. The Get It Done initiative encourages people to speak with their doctors and make a plan to safely resume their routine screenings and appointments. To learn more and for information on how to help prepare for your in-person or telehealth appointment, visit GetCancerScreened.com.
Now let’s hear the amazingly inspirational story from Erin herself…
JWM: Tell us about your cancer journey and how your life has changed because of it.
EGC: I was diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma in 1972. I was 15 years old at the time. In those days, cancer was something people talked about in hushed tones. Many still believed it was a contagious disease. Being told that you had cancer was often a death sentence, and the cure for it was fairly barbaric. I had several surgeries, an extensive amount of cobalt radiation, and several rounds of MOPP chemotherapy. One of the drugs in my chemo “cocktail” was nitrogen mustard. There were no “infusion suites” with TV’s and counselors to talk to. I got my chemo in the Emergency Ward at my local hospital. Being a teenager with cancer in the early 70’s was a lonely, terrifying experience.
My reaction to being told that I had a poor prognosis was to say, “I don’t think so! I have WAY too much to do!” When I wasn’t sick from treatment, I was a very busy high-school student, determined to have all the same life experiences that my peers did, even if I literally had to die trying. My doctors said I might have a “couple of years” to live, and if I made it the five-year mark I would be considered “cured”. What I did not know at the time was that if I made it to five years I would only be at the beginning of another journey altogether—-that of a cancer survivor facing the “Late Effects” of her cancer treatments.
All that radiation and chemotherapy would end up taking a tremendous toll on my body. It would cost me the ability to have children. It would damage my heart so severely that I would require open-heart surgery. It would scar my lungs. It would cause me to have multiple skin cancers, including melanoma. I would be at such great risk for breast cancer that I would choose prophylactic mastectomies. I often hear my fellow survivors say, “The cure is killing me.” For those of us who were treated decades ago, it’s not far from the truth. While we are very much “walking miracles,” we are most certainly paying the price for that.
I don’t think that I have ever stopped being that high-school kid who was determined to make the most of each and every day. I have led a very full and active life, grateful for a loving family and supportive friends. I try to meet each challenge head on, deal with it, and then move on. There’s a saying about the windshield of a car being so much bigger than the rear view mirror—the reason for that is that it’s more important to see where you’re going than what is behind you. Seems like a good motto to live by as far as I’m concerned!
JWM: What do you do now to stay healthy and active?
ECG: I stay healthy and active by moving!! I used to be a runner, but after my heart surgery I settled for walking. I try to walk every day, even just a little bit. Some days I have to force myself out the door, but once I do, I’m usually very glad that I did. I’ve taken up yoga recently. I’m quite terrible at it, but it does ease the mind!
JWM: You have participated in seven marathons. Tell us about that experience and how you kept going?
ECG: I started running right around my five year “cancer-versary”—when my doctors pronounced me “cured.” I realized that as long as I wasn’t dead yet that perhaps my body could actually do something GOOD for a change. A cancer diagnosis can make you feel that absolutely nothing is in your control. You don’t know how you got it, you can’t make it go away, and you really can’t decide how you’re going to “fix” it. Cancer is an insidious disease. It has a mind of its own. For me, deciding to become a runner and challenging myself with something like a marathon was my way of saying, “Screw you cancer! I’m in charge now!”
I ran my first marathon in Boston in 1982 in four hours and one minute, exactly. It was just ten years after I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s. My parents and future husband were cheering me on at the 20-mile mark, right before I headed up Heartbreak Hill. It was something I could never have imagined when I first heard those words, “You have cancer.” I ran Boston again in 1984, just to make sure it wasn’t a dream. My time was one minute slower—4:02.
In 1997 I heard about a fund-raising effort on behalf of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center called “Fred’s Team.” It was named after Fred Lebow, founder of the NYC Marathon. The team raised money for pediatric cancer research. As I had received some of my radiation treatment at Sloan-Kettering, I thought that joining the team and running the NYC Marathon would be a good way to “give back” to the hospital that helped save my life. I ran the NYC Marathon in 1998, 1999, 2001, 2005, 2013 and 2016. In those seven marathons I raised over 100K for Fred’s Team. While I had to walk the last three (the 2005 NYC Marathon was about 18 months after my open-heart surgery), I managed to get to the finish line in one piece- shivering and in the dark, but still upright.
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center is right at the 16-mile mark in the NYC Marathon. On marathon day, the first Sunday in November, the sidewalk in front of the hospital is adorned with purple and orange balloons (Fred’s Team colors). Doctors, nurses, and other hospital staff members cheer on the runners, along with patients, huddled under blankets. When I came up to Sloan Kettering in my first NYC Marathon, I had not been back to the hospital in over 25 years. I “high fived” and hugged as many of those who were there as I could, and then wiped my eyes and got going again.
Completing a marathon sounds heroic, but it is really just a matter of putting one foot in front of each other- one step at a time. It doesn’t always feel good. It can be downright painful. But what kept me going in nine marathons, what KEEPS me going, is knowing that if I just hang in there, I’ll get there. It might not be fast, it might not be pretty, but I’ll get there.
JWM: Can you tell us about your experience with cancer screening? Why is early detection and regular screening important to you, especially during COVID?
ECG: Cancer screening, especially for those with risk factors, like long-term Hodgkin’s survivors, is KEY. The late effects of earlier treatment can sneak up on you. You may have signs of heart disease, for example, and not realize it. Secondary cancers, like breast cancer, are not uncommon for long-term survivors. It is imperative that cancer survivors give themselves every opportunity to be pro-active about their health. Hodgkin’s survivors may not have the same choices regarding treatment that someone else might if they are diagnosed with a secondary cancer or heart disease. Our past treatment history effects what can be done for us in the future. We don’t have the luxury of saying, “We’ll just wait and see.”
During the COVID pandemic I have continued to keep up with doctor’s appointments- some via virtual visits, and others by seeing someone in person. In the past several months, I have been diagnosed with three skin cancers, and just recently, with a new heart valve issue. Clearly, skin cancer and heart disease aren’t waiting around for COVID to go away! There are many ways to be seen safely, and hospitals and clinics are doing a great job of making sure that they are available, so my advice would be, GET IT DONE!
JWM: What is something that keeps you motivated to stay on top of your health?
ECG: I’m motivated to stay on top of my health out of sheer desire to be around a little longer. I have a wonderful husband and four children. I want to grow old. I want to have grandchildren. I realize I’m asking for a lot, especially for someone whose expiration date was about 45 years ago, but there it is. I also want to do whatever I can to make sure that other Hodgkin Lymphoma survivors don’t suffer from the same late effects that I have had to. If there’s one silver lining in all this, it’s that the next generation of survivors will have an easier path ahead because of what they’ve learned from people like me.
JWM: What’s one piece of advice you have for someone that may be battling a cancer diagnosis or may be putting off an important screening during the pandemic?
ECG: My one piece of advice for someone who is battling a cancer diagnosis or considering delaying a screening because of COVID is this: Think of it this way—give yourself the gift of time. Cancer and COVID can make you feel like everything is out of your hands, that you have no control. And sometimes, that is absolutely the case. BUT, the gift of time is something YOU can control. YOU can decide not to wait to be seen. YOU can get ahead or at least stay on top of your health issues. You are in charge and in control of that. So do it! Just do it!
JWM: What’s next for you Erin?
ECG: I co-founded a non-profit organization several years ago, called “Hodgkin’s International.” Our mission is to support our fellow long-term Hodgkin’s survivors by providing information about the Late Effects of earlier cancer treatments. We do a lot of peer support, education, and advocacy. We work with other organizations like the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS) to make sure that we are giving survivors up-to-date news about cancer research and other related health issues, including COVID. At the moment, and with NCCS’s support, we are trying to develop a Public Service Campaign about Late Effects. It is heartbreaking to hear a survivor say, “I had no idea I was at risk,” only to discover that their condition was now untreatable.
Through Hodgkin’s International and other survivor support groups I have met some of the most courageous, wonderful, joyous people I have ever known. For years, I thought I was “the only one.” I didn’t meet another adult survivor until I was well into my 40’s. My world got a heck of a lot bigger in the past couple of years. It has been nothing short of miraculous for us to find each other. I am hoping and praying for the day when we can all be together, in person, celebrating our survivorship, celebrating life. THAT’S what’s next!
JWM. You know, Erin, as I always tell my readers and listeners, and your story truly demonstrates, in life we will always be thrown curveballs; and just when we think we know what’s coming next, the occasional change up. We may not be able to change the world in one fell swoop. But we do have control over the personal choices we make every each and every day. I thank you so much for giving us all the wisdom, power and courage to bravely face any adversity that comes our way and, in doing so, become Better Than Before, physically, emotionally and spiritually.
