“Cancer begins and ends with people.
In the midst of scientific abstraction, it is sometimes possible to forget this one basic fact.”
–June Goodfield.
Before this summer, I viewed the fight against cancer solely as a scientific race to find a cure. As I began my participation in the BME CUReS REU program, my perspective of the fight against cancer has been changed and expanded. Through my research in the lab and reading of Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer, I have come to realize that the complexity of the nature of cancer as a disease and its variance among its victims prevents there ever being one single drug that provides a universal cure. Yet, in order to achieve the ultimate goal of eliminating the disease of cancer, it is going to take several different effective treatments. In consequence, winning the war against cancer requires an entire army – a community. A community of researchers to share findings to better the understanding of cancer as a disease and to find more effective treatments. A community of doctors to communicate the needs of patients and the successes and failures of treatments. A community of people to raise the public’s awareness and funds for the fight against cancer.
In a community, there are several different groups of individuals who hold various roles, all of which are vital to the functionality of the community. Just as in any functioning body, one part of a community cannot thrive without the other. In the cancer community, doctors and researchers could not collaborate and create effective treatments without funding. It is the individuals of the cancer community that dedicate their time to share their personal encounters with cancer, to host fundraising events, to campaign for government funding, to raise public awareness who come up with the funding. Thus, these are the individuals who fuel the fight against cancer.
A great example of such individuals are those who make the Texas4000 happen. These individuals dedicate two years of their life to raise $4,500 total funds for cancer research and to train physically, emotionally, and mentally to ride a bike 4000 miles. The strenuous 4000 mile bike ride from Austin to Anchorage mirrors the exhausting fight cancer patients face every day. While some may ride in memory of someone who encountered cancer as others ride because they personally are a survivors, all ride for the sole purpose of raising hope and public knowledge in the fight against cancer.
Without the funds raised by the Texas4000 riders, research programs like BME CUReS would not be happening. Every day in the labs, I use numerous pipet tips, reagents, cell lines, and fancy other equipment – all to better understand cancer. Yet, all these tools wear high price tags. Due to dedication of the Texas4000 individuals, this summer, I can contribute research that will bring the cancer community one step closer to fighting off cancer.
-Rachel Hegab, Louisiana Tech University
On Friday, July 1, four Texas 4000 riders from the 2017 visited the REU weekly seminar to talk about why they ride: Marc, Margo, Luis, and Valerie. We also made cards for the 2016 Sierra team and will be sending them to the Portland Day 45 mail drop!
