GCU TODAY • 17
of childhood cancer and put CCN on the map as a valuable resource for
families from the moment of diagnosis, throughout treatment and into long-
term survivorship,” said CCN executive director Patti Luttrell, an adjunct
faculty member in GCU’s College of Nursing and Health Care Professions.
“Thanks to the run, we have been able to respond to the increased need for
basic necessities for these families — gas and food cards, bus and cafeteria
passes, beds and linens, household items and more.”
Filling a gap for families fighting cancer
Luttrell, of Tempe, never wanted to be an expert on childhood cancer.
Her son, Jeff, was diagnosed with leukemia in 1993 at age 5, and he has
since gone nine rounds with cancer, including four with a secondary
cancer of the mouth.
“It seems like his whole life has had some component of cancer,
almost at every turn, and it’s heartbreaking,” she said. “And yet it’s
important not to let cancer control you, and Jeff’s courage and resilience
and amazing determination to get through the next
steps have been so helpful. He gives me inspiration
to not let it control us.”
Luttrell, her husband, Steve, and their daughter,
Jenny, are fortunate to have had the financial
wherewithal and insurance coverage to care for Jeff
over the years, and they had a good support network.
Many families they met, however, didn’t have those
advantages, and that’s why CCN was created. It gives financial assistance,
education and encouragement to families in every stage of cancer, from
diagnosis to long-term survival, and it funds research for better diagnosis
tools and treatment options.
Jeff, 26, is back in school this semester, following his most recent
surgery in December, and is working on a degree in graphic design
from The Art Institute of Phoenix. As he has grown, CCN’s goals
have expanded into smoothing the transition that cancer patients
face as young adults, where medical and support services seem less
collaborative than in pediatric oncology.
Powering through adversity
When Sarah Maurer turned 26 and was
aged out of her parents’ health insurance,
she turned to the state Medicaid system for
coverage. She had no choice: Maurer has
multiple appointments every year with nine
physicians who track the health of her heart,
lungs, brain, kidneys, bones and endocrine
system, among others.
In 1992, just before her eighth birthday,
Maurer was diagnosed with Wilms’ tumor,
the same cancer that killed McKenzie. She
endured intense radiation and chemotherapy
and, as a result, her health must be closely monitored for the rest of her life.
DuringMaurer’s treatment, she oftenwas angry or upset, and the only time
she would cooperate or open up about her feelings was when she was with the
hospital’s pet therapy rabbit, Thumper. The care she received from the staff
made such an impression that she nowworks as a child-life specialist at PCH.
“I want them to know to never give up, to find something that they enjoy
doing and can do and run with it. They should keep living life and never let
it hold them back,” said Mauer, 30, of Phoenix.
McKenzie Monks’ time on earth was brief but well-lived. When her hair
fell out, she refused to wear a wig, instead rubbing her bald head with glitter.
“She never noticed she was different,” said Mandy Monks. “She just wanted
to sparkle, which she did.”
McKenzie’s death not only changed her sister’s outlook on life, it’s having
an impact on her future. After earning a degree in family and human
development at Arizona State University, the 24-year-old Phoenix resident is
enrolled in GCU’s undergraduate nursing program.
“Cancer definitely changes you once you see the other side of it.”
Pushing for better tools
When Jeff was 12, during a follow-up visit after his bone-marrow
transplant at a Tucson hospital, the Luttrells wandered into a playroom
and saw a live donkey there. Seeing no one else in the room, they
approached the animal to pet it, and to their surprise, a small hand with
an IV in it reached around from behind.
“‘This has got to stop,’ Jeff said to us when he
saw the child,” Luttrell recalled. “He was talking
about the next generation of cancer patients, not
his own.”
In 2013, when Luttrell asked Jeff if he wanted
to speak at a fundraiser that CCN hosts annually,
a large springtime fashion show and silent auction
at The Phoenician, he again declined.
“And he said, ‘When you all get serious and start funding research, then
I’ll talk,’” she said.
Last year, CCN announced a $100,000 pledge to PCH’s Ronald A.
Matricaria Institute of Molecular Medicine to search for improved
treatment methods for Acute Myelogenous Leukemia. The eventual hope
is for early diagnosis, prevention and cure of this aggressive blood cancer.
“Hope is the root of all of it,” Luttrell said of her 21-year road with
cancer. “It’s what gives us the courage to move forward. Jeff has never
lost that hope, and I want other families to find hope, too.”
When:
Saturday, March 7 (10K at 7 a.m.,
5K at 7:45, Cancer Survivors’ Walk at 9)
Where:
GCU campus, 3300W. Camelback Road, Phoenix
Why:
To raise awareness of pediatric cancer and funding for
the Children’s Cancer Network and Phoenix Children’s Hospital,
which support children and families affected by the disease.
Proceeds also fund research at PCH’s Center for Cancer and
Blood Disorders, where young cancer patients benefit from
new developments in molecular medicine.
Also:
A variety of family entertainment, including arts and
crafts, music and jump castles. Free parking in the GCU parking
garages on Camelback Road and 35th Avenue, plus free shuttle
service from the lot at 27th Avenue and Colter Street.
Registration
Donate:
Text “fightcancer” to 41444
5th Annual GCU Foundation
Run to Fight Children’s Cancer
SarahMaurer lives
with the after-effects
of years of cancer
treatments.
. . . it’s important
not to let cancer
control you . . .
