Cancer Diagnosis Has Sisters On The Run

By Nancy K. Crevier

August 23 is a significant date for Rebecca Pollock. On that date in 1991, she started college. On August 23, 1995, she started her stint with the Peace Corps. And on August 23, 2006, she was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), a diagnosis that has put the Newtown native, her parents Cindy and Paul Pollock, her brother Jeremy, and most of all, her three sisters, on the run — for charity, that is.

According to the Mayo Clinic, chronic myeloid leukemia is “an uncommon type of cancer of the blood cells.” This cancer is apt to progress more slowly than acute forms of leukemia.

Now living in New York City and working for a software company in competitive market intelligence, Rebecca’s job involves long hours and a lot of traveling. “Being tired was not unusual. But I was very lucky. I went in for a routine checkup and the cancer was found. It’s a pretty rare type of leukemia and there was a ‘miracle pill,’ Gleevec, which I can take. I reacted really well, so I could go on with my life, the same as always, except I take a pill once a day,” said Rebecca.

About 4,870 people in the United States are expected to be diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) in 2010, according to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. It is estimated that approximately 24,800 people in the United States are living with CML.

“I was shocked when I got the diagnosis,” said Rebecca, “and so was my family. I live my life to the fullest.”

“She got so mad at the diagnosis of cancer,” said her mother, Cindy Pollock, “and she is the feisty one. Her dad had had bladder cancer, and I think she was fed up. She said, ‘I’m going to do something.’ Rebecca has been an adventure seeker her whole life and the other kids seem to follow. She is the catalyst that gets everyone moving.”

The “something” that Rebecca decided to do was “something” that had been on a list of goals she made up for herself nearly a decade earlier, while in the Peace Corps. “That was to run the New York City Marathon,” said Rebecca. Her parents had been runners for many years, as had her younger brother, Jeremy, but the four Pollock sisters had only dabbled in running on and off, Amy more than the others. Rebecca and her sister Sarah had watched the New York City Marathon many times, and often remarked that they would one day join that pack.

“From the minute Rebecca was diagnosed, she decided that cancer was not going to define her or stop her,” said Amy, who is the oldest of five siblings.

“She’s a fighter,” agreed Sarah Pollock, a sentiment echoed by the fourth sister, Amanda, who added, “From the beginning, we all said that cancer had picked the wrong person to mess with.”

Within just a few months of the leukemia diagnosis, Rebecca had convinced Amy to train with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training, and prepared for the San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon in June of 2007. “It was a fantastic experience,” recalled Rebecca.

Four months after that, she ran in the New York City Marathon. Since 2007, at least one member of the Pollock family has run in the New York City Marathon, and numerous other half and full marathons in between. Each time they run, they are running to raise money for cancer research. Together, “Team Pollock” — which consists not only of the four sisters who run, but their hugely supportive brother, father, mother, and numerous friends across the country — has raised more than $50,000 for cancer research since they began running.

The Strength Of A Team

Four years, three half and four full marathons later, Rebecca and her sisters lined up at the starting gate of the New York City Marathon, November 7, her brother and parents cheering from the sidelines. It would be the first time all four sisters ran the 26.2-mile marathon together.

“I really do not even like running, though,” laughed Rebecca.

Training is a huge commitment for the women, involving early mornings, long hours on the weekends as they work up from two to three miles to 20 miles at a clip, and hours put in cross training with weights, yoga, and bicycling. “The hardest part is when I first start training,” said Sarah, who also lives in New York City. “I think, ‘Am I going to be able to do this?’ But then I keep in mind what one of the trainers told me: ‘You think this is hard, try chemotherapy.’ I can control what I do with my body. People who are sick, can’t,” she said.

“Once Amy and Rebecca finished that first marathon, it inspired us,” said Amanda. Like her younger sister Sarah, she worried about her ability to carry through with the training. “But once I was signed up,” she said, “I thought, ‘I have to do this.’ Team in Training says they can get anyone to run….”

Training for this year’s NYC Marathon was a different experience, said Sarah, knowing that they would all be running it together. “This one meant more to me, training with Rebecca, and staying in touch with my other sisters,” she said. Amy lives in Delaware and Amanda lives in California.

“Having the support of my family is very important,” said Rebecca. “There are a lot who don’t have the support that I have. I am blessed,” she said.

Running with all three of her sisters was an awesome experience, said Amanda. “We had all run marathons before and had trained now for a couple of years. This time, there was a joy with the four of us running. I’m so grateful we had this chance to run together and that Rebecca was healthy enough to run. We had so much support from everyone, all over the country, and this was a wonderful chance to give back,” she said.

Not Alone

“These events have provided our family with a coping mechanism,” said Amy. “They are a way to change a negative into a positive. It helps us to reach out to others, and it gives others a way to reach out to us, through the fundraising. One of the things we’ve learned, too, is that we are not alone.” The women have run in marathons with Team in Training for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, but all of the New York City runs have been with Fred’s Team to support cancer research at Memorial Sloan Kettering.

The Pollocks, like others whose lives have been affected by cancer, are eager for research to find a cure for the disease. They are satisfied, though, that the funds used to date have not been in vain. Gleevec, for one, is a drug that was developed through research funded in part by Team in Training, said Amy. “Without Gleevec, the outlook [for Rebecca] might have been less positive,” she said.

As grateful as she is for the drug that has allowed her to continue on with day-to-day activities and training, “I probably drive my doctors nuts,” admitted Rebecca, “asking when I can go off of a drug.” She had been off of Gleevec for a few months in 2010, but when symptoms of the chronic myeloid leukemia returned, she started another drug, Tasinga, just three weeks before the New York City Marathon. “Tasinga is supposed to be a more targeted medication than Gleevec. But two weeks before the marathon, I thought I’d have to withdraw. I was having terrible headaches and was exhausted,” Rebecca said. The side effects of Tasinga subsided, though, and Rebecca was able to continue training. “I feel great, now,” she said. “This whole experience has brought us closer than we have ever been, and my parents and my brother have supported us with fundraising and being there for us. We’re there for each other, plus running together is fun. It keeps our parents involved in our lives now, too,” said Rebecca.

Paul and Cindy have run in shorter races in the City in the past three years, but will leave the marathons to their children, said Mrs Pollock. “There are so many people out there who have reached out to support them, and they feel very strongly about this. They laugh, they fight, they have fun. And when they finish, there is such a sense of accomplishment. Aren’t we always so proud of our children?” asked Mrs Pollock. “But we are just bursting with pride over them. If we, as a crazy little family, can do something,” she added, “maybe others can make a difference, too.”

August 23, 2011, will mark five years since Rebecca was first diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia. It will also mark the beginning of her race to find a cure for cancer.

All four Pollock sisters finished the New York City Marathon in less than five and a half hours. “We’re running so that eventually there will be a cure,” Amy said, “and research for drugs that will put these cancers in remission.”

“We will definitely be running together again,” said Amanda.

“And,” said Amy, “We always finish.”

Memorial Sloan-Kettering’s Fred’s Team is still accepting donations for the November 7, New York City Marathon. To donate in support of “Team Pollock,” go to www.mskcc.convio.net/site/TR. Select “support a member,” then type in Rebecca, Amanda, Sarah, or Amy Pollock to donate. To view “Imagine A World Without Cancer,” a video made by Amanda, go to http://mskcc.convio.net/site/TR?px=1760280&fr_id=1310&pg=personal.