In Case You Missed It ...
Jun 11, 2009 3:06 pm US/Central
Cancer Sufferer Uses Facebook To Help Find Cure
FORT WORTH (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
For many 30 and 40-somethings, Facebook is like a modern day high school yearbook. But could it possibly lead to a cure for breast cancer?
For 39-year-old Darby Steadman, whose metastatic breast cancer returned last year with a vengeance, reestablishing contact with her high school friends may ultimately do just that.
This is the story of a bright-eyed, talented, fun-loving girl named Darby Steadman. Her 1986 high school yearbook is awfully familiar to me, because it's mine. I was a year older than Steadman at Tampa's Chamberlain High School. And the tale my Totem pictures tell is only a taste of the fun we all had together.
"We were all knuckleheads together goofing around in the halls of Chamberlain High School," Steadman told my CBS11 colleagues in Tampa on May 31, the day before I arrived there for a reunion fundraiser planned in her honor.
Like many high school friends, through the years Steadman and our gang grew up and apart--until the fall of last year. That's when the social networking site Facebook brought us all back together.
Someone started posting links about Steadman and the battle she's fighting to stay alive. The stories explained Steadman's Stage 4 breast cancer and the breast cancer vaccine trial she's participating in at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Maryland.
"Maybe in a selfish way, I would love to think that this trial is going to extend my life. In a selfish way, so I can be with my daughter. I'm going to see my children graduate and that would be fantastic," said Steadman.
The stories also discussed the mission Steadman's on to raise money for more women to afford participating in the same trial. While undergoing hers, Steadman said she got to know the other woman involved and became inspired.
"They are giving of their time, they are taking days away from their families, and I find that to be heroic because our time is limited," she said.
While the costs of the trial are covered, getting there is not.
"I ran into women who were alone; they flew up alone. A friend of mine from West Virginia, she drove alone six hours, stayed in a hotel by herself, got her treatment and got back in her car and drove six hours," said Steadman.
So Steadman created the
Driving Miss Darby Foundation, named for the team of volunteers she counted on to drive her to cancer treatments and trials and to keep her two kids on schedule.
"We want to give them the financial ability to actually participate in the trial. The trial is only available at Johns Hopkins, so if you live in Tampa, Florida you've got to get up to Hopkins," she explained.
"We want to get the message out there are trials going on. We want to encourage women and men that there are hospitals within your reach. Get out there and see what's appropriate for you," Steadman encouraged.
Steadman's battle spread like lightening across Facebook.
And one day, two high school pals decided to do something about it. Former party-boy turned responsible adult Joey Larson was one of them. He along with his wife Carrie, who had never even met Steadman, led the charge. With the help of other former classmates, they organized a golf tournament and Facebook reunion party to raise money and awareness for Steadman.
"We have people coming from all over the country, Seattle, Maine, Michigan, Texas, New York, North Carolina. The outpouring has been great," said Larson.
"Seven weeks ago I didn't know how to pull off a professional golf tourney. But we've pulled it off."
Seven weeks later... the evening proved to be an overwhelming success. Some $35,000 was raised for the
Driving Miss Darby Foundation.
But from what I witnessed at the fun-filled Saturday night bash, the most valuable result was seeing the love and support for this former Chamberlain Chief, making lasting memories with the knuckleheads who will love her forever.
"I don't know how it happened, but the older we get, the more we recognize how our high school experience was special," said Larson.
"Maybe it's something we all realized how precious life is, maybe it's a situation that Facebook has brought into our consciousness the fact that time is short, our friendships are special and making a difference in the lives of each other and the people we don't know, the trial patients, is more important," said Steadman.
An annual reunion/fundraiser is in the works.
Steadman's metastatic Stage 4 breast cancer is now in a "stable" condition. She and her doctors are not sure if it has anything to do with the trial. The hospital is looking for five more women to participate in Steadman's trial. To find out more, contact
Dr. Leisha Emens at (410) 955-8964.
There are other trials right now at Johns Hopkins.
To find out how you can take part, call (410) 955-8804 or log on to
www.hopkinskimmelcancercenter.org.
To donate to the
Driving Miss Darby Foundation, send money to Driving Miss Darby Foundation, Inc. PO Box 634 Millersville, MD 21108.
MORE INFORMATION ON THE TRIAL
QUESTION: What's average cost to participate in trial?
DARBY: There is no research on the cost of being in the trial. You are given, by the study, parking vouchers - that is it. Typically, insurance covers costs that are considered 'normal' for one's cancer treatment, of course after the patient has met their deductible ($2800). All travel expenses, food, lodging, taxis, and/or other incidentals were paid for by the trial patient.
For me, my expenses included gas money and meals on treatment days. My costs were nominal, however, when you add the 8 times my mother flew into town to take care of our small children (so John could continue working) - the actual cost to my family jumps up quite a bit.
Most of the patients I have encountered have been within driving distance - as close as 2 hours and as far as 6 hours. I met one women from Florida that flew into town each week.
Each of these women had to find their own lodging - hotels, family- and get themselves to/from the hospital and to/from their lodgings. They would have to cover their own meals and any other incidentals.
The trial consisted of 4 rounds of the vaccine cycle where each round lasted about 6-8 weeks. The first three rounds were back to back where we where at Hopkins each week for our 'normal' chemo treatment and one week out of the 6-8 where were were required to be at the hospital 6 out of 7 days for the 'vaccine week'.
During the 'vaccine week', we were at the hospital each of the 6 days having blood work done as well as skin biopsies, when required. Visits to the hospital would last anywhere from 1 hour to 6 on each of these days. Additional visits for me included a two day 'out patient' visit when I had a serious reaction to the vaccine.
QUESTION: Has this trial affected your overall health--pain relief, cancer growth, etc? Or is it solely about preventing breast cancer for future generations?
We don't know. It is clearly stated in all the paperwork I had to complete to be on the trial that the vaccine is not expected to extend my life. I term it that it is a TRIAL not TREATMENT.
Of course I am hopeful that the vaccine is keeping my cancer at its current 'stable' condition. However, I have been very aggressive in my treatment option decisions as well as my belief that God is not going to call me home anytime soon!
People have been blanketing me in prayer and I hold onto the fact that I need to 'Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction and faithful in prayer'. (Romans 12:12)
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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