SURVIVOR'S STORY: Racing toward a cure

Fund-raising programs work to save lives

Air Force Staff Sgt. Ebbie Cabrera and her husband wanted a baby, but they didn't think she was going to almost die trying.

After taking fertility drugs, Cabrera was diagnosed with an estrogen-fueled breast cancer. The cancer was there before the drugs boosted her estrogen to help her conceive. Unknowingly, Cabrera took the drugs for four months. After returning from a visit to a fertility doctor who told her conceiving shouldn't be a problem, she received a call from her family doctor with news about the cancer. It had already spread to her lymph nodes. Having a baby was now out of the question.

"It's something you never think will happen to you. What are the chances of it growing that fast?" Cabrera said. "It was bam, bam, bam! One piece of horrible news after another."

In stage two, Cabrera called the American Cancer Society for help. After chemotherapy and medicine trials, Cabrera is in remission.

The recovery wouldn't have been possible without the monies generated through fund-raising programs. Twenty years ago, her situation wouldn't have been as positive, she said.

"Back then, if you had cancer past stage one or stage two, it was fatal," Cabrera said. "We didn't know anything about cancer. We had to decide what kind of surgery to have. When you are newly diagnosed it's really a comfort to call and talk to somebody who knows what you're going through."

Although she had participated in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, she never knew anyone who had the disease. During her first year at the North Las Vegas Relay for Life, she was suffering through the realization of having the disease. Last year, she was going through treatment.

"I couldn't function when I was first diagnosed for days," Cabrera said. "I was in a fog. People would talk and I didn't hear them. All I kept thinking was 'I'm going to die.' "

This year, at the event held for 24 hours on April 26 and 27, Cabrera was healthy and ready to walk. Before the event, she e-mailed fellow Air Force personnel with her story, hoping to garner as much support as possible. She formed a team, the Cancer Combatters, and they raised $1,200 of the approximately $19,000 raised during the event.

Each person on a team raises $100 by whatever means they have. This year, Cabrera sold items on ebay, the Internet auction site.

"They couldn't do the research they do now. They wouldn't have the technology if they didn't do these (fund-raisers)," Cabrera said. "Where would the money come from? The government? They're not going to give much."

During the event, one person from the team is on the track at all times. This was the first year the North Las Vegas Relay for Life ran the 24-hour distance. At sundown, bags with lights inside lined the track at the Cheyenne Sports Complex. On the outside, participants wrote memories of those who lost their cancer battle and messages of encouragement for those still fighting or in remission.

This year, Cabrera walked with her head held high.

"It almost feels like it was another lifetime, like it happened to somebody else," Cabrera said. "Or it was just a bad dream."


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