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Cancer Survivor Runs for His Life: Mesquite: His Treatment Over, Athlete Now Trains for Race to Aid Research

Posted on: Saturday, 24 December 2005, 15:00 CST

By Karin Shaw Anderson, The Dallas Morning News, The Dallas Morning News

Dec. 24--Chris Ragan seems to have one answer for everything.

Running.

The Mesquite man first defaulted to that solution in November 2004, when he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma just before his 20th birthday.

"What was going through my mind is, 'How can I be more prepared for this?' " Mr. Ragan remembered thinking as he braced for the coming treatment. "How can I be ready for what's fixing to happen?"

"If I run, that's got to be a good thing," he thought.

He ran to steel himself for the chemotherapy. He ran between the treatments. He ran until he vomited, then ran some more. To celebrate the end of chemotherapy, he ran a half-marathon. Then another. Then a 31-mile ultra-marathon. Today, he'll run on a treadmill to raise money for cancer research. Sixteen miles on Christmas Eve.

"Running for me was a definite coping mechanism," said Mr. Ragan, who admits he was stunned and scared after the diagnosis.

Hodgkin's lymphoma is a cancer that attacks the lymphatic system, which helps the body fight infection. Treatments have improved, according to the American Cancer Society, but the disease still kills about 1,400 people a year.

Mr. Ragan put on a brave face in front of his family and his buddies in the Corps of Cadets at Texas A&M University. He packed up and returned home, vowing to get himself as healthy as possible before beginning chemotherapy.

The training started after Mr. Ragan -- never a marathoner before -- was directed to Leah Stuekerjuergen, an avid runner. He asked if he could join her and a friend on their regular afternoon jogs.

The first outings were easy, but as the chemicals weakened his body, Ms. Stuekerjuergen could see their effects.

"There would be days when he would show up at my door, and I couldn't believe he had made it out of bed," she said.

The Horn High School counselor said Mr. Ragan's determination was an inspiration.

"He'd say, 'Are we running today?' " she recalled. "I'd say, 'You're here. You bet we are.' "

It was tortuous therapy for someone fighting cancer. After the first few treatments, he would have to skip nearly a week of running to recover.

"Eventually," he said, "I just learned to kind of force myself to get out and run, even if I was pretty sick."

"During that bad week when I would run, I would just plan on ... having to run off the side of the road periodically," he said. "I kind of had to work out a technique, because I didn't want to stop running."

"He was just pretty incredible," Ms. Stuekerjuergen said.

The day before his last round of chemotherapy, Mr. Ragan completed his first half-marathon. He wore the T-shirt he earned for running it to that last chemotherapy session.

Then, after his body rid itself of the chemicals for a month, he began radiation.

"I decided ... I did a half-marathon for chemotherapy. I'll do a half-marathon for radiation, too," he said.

By then, Mr. Ragan's already slim frame was 25 pounds lighter, and he was getting weaker from the radiation. But he performed well in his second race.

"That was actually the fastest pace I've ever kept," he said. "I think a lot of it was the weight, because it made it a lot easier to move."

By June, Mr. Ragan was cancer-free and planning to return to A&M. The Army had revoked his full scholarship because of his condition, so he got loans and a few smaller scholarships to cover the costs.

Over the summer, he continued running and began training for longer runs.

"It felt so good," he said. "I knew the half-marathons were just the beginning."

In October he ran the ultra-marathon and signed up with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training to run in an Arizona marathon next month. Participants must raise $3,000 for the society's cancer research and patient services, and he is just $300 shy of that goal. The deadline is Jan. 3, and he needed a quick boost to his fundraising efforts.

His answer?

He will run on the treadmill in front of the Wal-Mart store in Forney as friends and family members collect donations. The 16 miles he'll cover is just a casual stroll now.

"I haven't set a distance yet that I couldn't make."

E-mail ksanderson@dallasnews.com

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Source: The Dallas Morning News

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