Cancer charity walk scheduled for June 20
BY KATHY CHANG Staff Writer

WOODBRIDGE - Bette Ann Pinkham and Debbie Caffarelli don't want their daughters to go through what they have gone through with breast cancer.

"We want to be part of the cure of cancer," said Pinkham, who is a two-time breast cancer survivor. "We want to share better treatment and better care and show people that they are not alone and shunned from society just because they have cancer."

Pinkham, who was named the honorary chair of this year's walk, and Caffarelli, who is the publicity chair for the walk, are gearing up for the ninth annual American Cancer Society's Relay for Life - Woodbridge, which will be held at John F. Kennedy High School in Iselin from 7 p.m. June 20 till 7 a.m. June 21.

Pinkham first heard about the Relay for Life last year because the St. Cecelia's Golden Knights' PopWarner cheerleading team was walking in her honor.

"It was very touching," she said. "People who I did not even know were hugging me. It was nice to be around people who understood what I was going through."

Pinkham said that when Peter Barcellona, a member of the committee for Relay for Life - Woodbridge, approached her and asked her to be the honorary chair, it brought her to tears.

"I just couldn't believe it.Why ask me?" she said.

Relay for Life is the American Cancer Society's signature activity. It offers everyone in a community an opportunity to participate in the fight against cancer. Teams of people camp out at a local high school, park or fairground and take turns walking or running around a track or path. Each team is asked to have a representative on the track at all times during the event. Relays are an overnight event, up to 24 hours in length.

Relay for Life began in Tacoma,Wash., in the mid-1980s. Dr. Gordy Klatt, a Tacoma colorectal surgeon, wanted to enhance the income of his local American Cancer Society office and to show support for all of his patients who had battled cancer. He decided to personally raise money for the fight by doing something he enjoyed - running marathons.

In May 1985, Dr. Klatt spent a grueling 24 hours circling the track at Baker Stadium at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma. He ran for more than 83 miles. That first year, nearly 300 of the doctor's friends, family and patients watched as he ran and walked the course. Throughout the night, friends donated $25 to run or walk with Klatt for 30 minutes. His efforts raised $27,000 to fight cancer.

Since the first Relay for Life, the even has raised more than $1.8 billion dollars. In 2007, in New York and New Jersey, Relay for Life raised well over $18.7 million. More than 176,000 people took part in the relay and 15,000 of them were cancer survivors.

The battle with breast cancer for Pinkham started nine years ago [1999] when she found a lump on her right breast.

"I was on vacation that weekend," she said. "I am one of 11 children, and when my younger sister was diagnosed with breast cancer a year before I was, we had found out that my three sisters, my mother, and I were more [susceptible] to breast cancer … that made me more aware of what breast cancer was and to get my checkups."

Pinkham went through surgery, chemotherapy and radiation.

"When I was first diagnosed, I thought as a nurse I knew what to experience.…found out that I had no clue, it was not what I thought," she said. "It was a shock …the clock was still going, no one stopped because I was diagnosed with cancer. had a lot of support from my friends and family, my boyfriend, Edward Somma, was there to listen to me, and I had to learn to trust people to do mundane things that I hated asking people to do, such as pick up groceries."

In December 2006, Pinkham received bad news.

"I was on mile 13 of a walk with a friend and I was feeling chest pains," she said. "It hurt so bad, but we finished 15 miles."

Pinkham said she didn't think that the pain was anything related to her breast cancer because checkups of her lymph nodes had come up clear.

"My boyfriend, who is a physician, suggested that I check it out," she said. "I went for a checkup in January 2007. I remember it was around Christmas and New Year's. I had to go into the city [New York] that day by myself to see the oncologist. After I got home, the oncologist had called me right away and I got on the phone, telling him he was so efficient. He's like, 'Bette, listen, the breast cancer has spread.' All I could say is, 'OK, thanks a lot,' because my daughter was standing there. It was not a good day."

Pinkham was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. Metastatic cancer, according to theAmerican Cancer Society, is a cancer that has spread from its primary site (the part of the body in which it developed) to other parts of the body.

"The cancer had spread from my right breast into my bones and into my hip," she said.

Pinkham spent time letting the news settle in and trying to figure out what the best treatment was.

"I'm constantly being tested, every three weeks," she said. "This is more like a chronic disease because people are living through it."

Cafarelli, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in July 2005, said theAmerican Cancer Society Web site has been a savior for her.

"It keeps you updated on the treatment changes, and if you have a question, you can pick up a phone and know that you are getting real, solid information," she said.

Cafarelli, who will be participating in her third relay this year, said it's kind of surreal that her children had participated in the relay when they were in school before she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

"It was like they were paving the way for me," she said.

Pinkham said her advice to newly diagnosed cancer patients is to take a nice deep breath and know that they will get through it.

"Learn to ask and accept help and learn how to cope. It's not going to be easy, but you will definitely get through it," she said.

So far, the Relay for Life- Woodbridge event is expecting 80 teams to participate in the relay, including cancer survivors, friends, and families.

The event will include a survivor dinner and a luminaria ceremony, which is a time to remember those lost to cancer.

For more information, visit www.cancer. org. For people who want to participate in the event, visit http://events.cancer.org/RFLwoodbridgeNJ.

Some pre-events to the relay include Paint the Town Purple (near Carpet Maven on Main Street, Woodbridge) 5-9 p.m. May 1; a Maggie Moo's (Oak Tree Road, Edison) Relay for Life Ice Cream Party 5-9 p.m. May 8; a team captain meeting at 7 p.m. May 21 in the choir room at Woodbridge High School; and a Survivor Day Rally 1-3 p.m. June 1 on Main Street, Woodbridge.