Walking towards a cure

Gloria Full lives in a comfortable home in Ahwatukee Foothills. It is filled with cards, flowers and pictures of her family. She has short blond hair, talks with her hands and enjoys doing service work. She is living with Lymphoma.

On Nov. 8 at the Phoenix Zoo the Arizona Chapter of the Lymphoma Research Foundation will be hosting its fifth annual Lymphomathon. The Lymphomathon is a 5K walk put on to raise money for research and education. Last year, the foundation raised $187,000 and had 99 teams participate. Teams are generally made up of 10 to 20 people.

“A lot of them are family and corporate teams,” said Jean Underwood, the Arizona executive director, “people who know someone with Lymphoma.”

There has been a team formed in honor of Gloria, and it is made up of her family and friends.

Full was diagnosed in 2005 with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Her subtype is one of the more aggressive forms.

“It wakes up and then it moves very quickly,” Full said.

She was diagnosed with the cancer after she went in to the doctor for a severe pain in her left leg that went from her groin to her toes. The pain increased quickly and she became extremely swollen.

“I couldn’t even put shoes on” Full said.

She is very comfortable talking about her cancer but she is aware that many people are not. Instead of ignoring her cancer she does volunteer work for the Lymphoma Research Foundation to raise awareness.

“Yes, I have cancer but, compared to many, I’m not in bad shape,” Full said.

According to a press release from the Lymphoma Research Foundation, there are half-a-million Americans currently affected by some form of Lymphoma. It is estimated that nearly 19,500 people will die from the disease this year. Lymphoma is the most common form of blood cancer. It is also the third most common cancer in children.

Participating in the walk will help fund research to find a cure. Based on personal experience, Full knows how important this research money can be. She mentioned the clinical trials and how crucial they are to finding a cure. They provide knowledge and hope, but they are not cheap. Without fundraising there are no clinical trials and without clinical trials there is no cure, she said.

“I don’t like to say I’m cured,” Full said, “because, I’m not. I’m only in remission, the cancer could come back – there is no cure yet.”

There is no registration fee for the Lymphomathon but the walkers are encouraged to raise at least $100 in pledges. The Mayo Clinic Hospital participates with a team as well as sponsors. But, sponsors are not required. According to Underwood, there are several teams who host actual fundraisers for the cause.

“The fundraisers range from car washes to bake sales,” Underwood said adding, “The money goes for research, education and outreach.”

“Something has to happen,” Full said. “Just being sick is bad enough but worrying about where you will get the money to pay for your treatment is too much.”

Information about registering and donating can be found on the foundation’s Web site, www.lymphoma.org.

Brandi Bell is interning this semester for the Ahwatukee Foothills News. She is a sophomore at Arizona State University.