March 18, 2002
Contact: Robert Lowery (509-963-1487/fax 509-963-2301/e-mail: loweryr@cwu.edu)
ELLENSBURG, Wash. - For Gina Thompson, it’s personal. She’s already won her own battle against cancer. Now she wants to help others do the same.
That’s the reason why Thompson, events coordinator for the Central Washington University office of alumni relations, is spending her free time running for miles around Kittitas County. She’s getting prepared for her first marathon in June. The event is designed to be a fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
“I’ve been getting newsletters from them and the National Cancer Institute for the past couple of years,” Thompson says. “I’ve always thought, ‘Someday, I’d like to do something to help.’ When the flyer came this year, I decided to see if I could do it.”
The reason she received correspondence was because 10 years ago, as a high school senior-to-be in Las Cruces, N.M., Thompson, now 26, was diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer.
“They went in and removed a tumor about the size of a golf ball in my thyroid gland,” she recalls. “They also took out some lymph nodes right behind it. I was lucky enough not to have to have chemotherapy, but I did have radiation treatments. I still have to go in for blood work just to make sure I’m still okay.”
Even a decade later, the memories still bring tears to her eyes, but resolve to her heart. Being cancer-free for 10 years “technically” means Thompson is listed among those cured from the disease, which is a reason for celebration.
“That’s another part of the reason I really want to do this,” she adds. “Ten years out, I can’t think of a better way to celebrate than to raise money for cancer research — and to get in really good shape.”
So far, Thompson has raised more than $1,900 in donations on the way toward her $3,000 goal. For those who would like to sponsor her, a Website has been set up which accepts donations: www.teamintraining.org/vtnt. Her participant identification number is 34191. For more information, you may also call (509) 962-2086.
The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society bills itself as the fastest-growing voluntary health organization with a nationwide presence. Its stated mission is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and to improve the quality of life for patients and their families. Founded in 1949, the society has provided more than $240 million for research, specifically for blood-related cancer research.
“The money I help raise that goes to this research is so important,” Thompson says, “because leukemia is often a ‘window’ for other types if cancers.”
Thompson is one of three women from central Washington slated to run in the June marathon in San Diego.
