2000 New Balance Honorary Team Member
Renee Graziano
In February, 1997, Renee Graziano was 32 years old and 9 and a half weeks pregnant
when she felt a very large, hard lump in her right breast. Within a few weeks, she
was diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer.
She chose to undergo surgery and chemotherapy while her baby was growing inside
her, something she described as one of the most frightening things she would ever
experience. In August of 1997, she gave birth to Alexander Richard, a happy, healthy
7 lb 13 oz baby boy.
But in January, 1999, she found a swollen lymph node in her right collarbone. On
February 15, 1999, exactly two years since her original diagnosis, she was diagnosed
with Stage IV metastatic breast cancer. Her oncologist used the words inoperable
and incurable. There were too many tumors in her lymph system to operate, and this
time around, “cure” was not a word they could use.
She underwent three rounds of chemo a bit stronger than the first time. Then she
started with a mobilization chemo which prepared her body for a triple stem cell
transplant, a procedure in which large quantities of stem cells are removed and
frozen, before chemo five times stronger than the first three is given at three
separate times. After each round of chemo, 1/3 of her previously collected stem
cells were re-injected. This treatment lasted a very long three months but in August,
1999, she was in remission.
That same month, she qualified for an FDA approved experiment to train her T cells
to fight cancer on their own if it should ever come back. Every day for 42 days,
her husband, 4-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son helped give her shots of Interlueken-2
(IL2). She then spent two full days in the hospital receiving the drug by IV.
But in May of 2000, she found another lump -- the cancer was back again. She went
through six more months of chemo, this time with Taxotere. As of November she was
in remission.
In February of 2001, she again felt a lump, this time in her left breast, bringing
more chemotherapy. After that, her doctor told her she had nearly exhausted the
standard chemotherapy agents and did not qualify for many of the trials. >From a
medical standpoint, aside from a miracle, he felt her cancer would come back and
eventually win.
In the many talks she gave, she told audiences it was research that would bring
that miracle. "The only way a cure can be found is through research--research such
as that funded by the Susan G. Komen for the Cure®," she said. "By raising
money for research, every one of you can play a major role in finding a cure. Make
it a personal challenge to try to get the most pledges for the Race for the Cure.
I used to feel silly asking for pledges, but that was before I knew firsthand how
serious this disease is."
Renee spoke to thousands of people; trying to reach an even larger audience, Renee
shared her experience battling breast cancer in a compelling documentary that has
been aired on over 200 PBS stations across the country.
Renee lost her fight a few weeks before the October 2002 Race.
<< Back to Survivor Recognition