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08/07/2014 |
15-40
CONNECTION AND ROB FULLER MOTORSPORTS
HONOR YOUNG ADULT CANCER SURVIVOR
Thyroid Cancer
Survivor Shares Her Story to
Empower Others to Advocate for Their Health |
 When
Stephanie Corliss was 27 and heard the words “you
have cancer,” she never thought anything positive
would come of it. This week, when she was asked by
15-40 Connection to be featured on the No. 15 Rob
Fuller Motorsports entry in the NASCAR Whelen
Modified Tour, Stephanie said, “my mind was blown.
Whatever I can do to help, I will do – so if that
means putting my face on a race car to raise
awareness, let’s do it. I don’t want people to go
through what I went through.”
15-40 Connection is a non-profit organization that
has partnered with Rob Fuller Motorsports to raise
awareness of cancer symptoms and the obstacles teens
and young adults face to diagnose cancer at earlier
stages. A photo of Stephanie will be featured on the
decklid of the No. 15 driven by Todd Szegedy at the
Thompson Speedway (Aug. 13) and Bristol Motor
Speedway (Aug. 20) events.
Stephanie, a Leominster, Mass. native, spent 10
years with health issues before she was properly
diagnosed.
At age 14, Stephanie was diagnosed with
hypothyroidism after months of changes in her health
– including weight gain and persistent fatigue. In
the years following, she took the prescribed thyroid
medications that regulated her hormones. She had
routine blood tests and her medications would be
changed based on the results of those tests. In
spite of all that, Stephanie’s symptoms never
improved.
While in college she switched doctors a few times
still seeking an answer – as the problems were not
being solved and she continued to hear comments such
as “it’s all in your head” or “you just need to eat
right and exercise more” from her physicians.
“After a few years with the same endocrinologist and
extensive research online about the different
medication options, I asked my doctor why I wasn’t
feeling ‘right’ and what I could do to feel better,”
Stephanie recalled. “I was at my heaviest weight and
everything was just off. My doctor’s response? ‘You
just need to admit that you are overweight and
lazy.’ I informed his secretary as I was leaving
that I wanted my records prepared ASAP. I was going
to seek another opinion.”
Stephanie trusted her instincts and found a new
doctor who listened and immediately tested her for
cancer. When the results came in, Stage 4 thyroid
cancer was confirmed. Her story illustrates one of
the major challenges to increasing cancer survival
rates for teens and young adults – delayed
diagnosis.
Fortunately, after surgery to remove her thyroid and
50 lymph nodes, Stephanie said she heard “the best
news of my life – the cancer hadn’t spread past my
lymph nodes and the likelihood of it returning was
slim to none.”
As Stephanie sums it up, “Who knows what would have
happened if I hadn't listened to myself, knowing my
own body and understanding that something was wrong.
My advice? Listen to that voice inside your head
that's telling you ‘This isn't right.’ Seek out
second, third, even tenth opinions until you know
you have someone listening to you. It could save
your life.”
Tricia Laursen, Executive Director at 15-40
Connection, uses Stephanie’s story often to
illustrate the obstacles teens and young adults face
that can delay an earlier cancer diagnosis.
“Stephanie experienced what many young adults
unfortunately go through,” said Tricia. “The good
thing is that at a young age, she had the courage to
stand up for herself, seek another opinion and
ultimately secured the proper diagnosis.
Improvements in cancer survivor rates among teens
and young adults lag behind all other age groups. So
sharing experiences such as Stephanie’s is highly
important to empowering young adults with
information that could save their lives.”
Young adult cancer survivors are an important part
of the race weekend for Rob Fuller and the No. 15
team. Earlier this season, Rob Fuller Motorsports
featured Josh Bell, a leukemia survivor, at Daytona,
Dave McGrath, a brain cancer survivor, at Thompson
and Brian Regan, a testicular cancer survivor, at
New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
“It’s rewarding going to the race track and being
able to share a message that can make a significant
difference in people’s lives,” said Rob Fuller, team
owner. “She likely doesn’t know it, but Stephanie
has a great impact on our team when we’re at the
track. The constant reminder of the challenges she
faced and overcame keeps us going and thinking
positive when we’re working on the car. There’s no
question that I’m honored to have Stephanie as part
of our team for these upcoming races.”
Race fans are urged to read
Stephanie’s full story at 15-40.org and
share it with those they care about. Race updates
will be provided at the 15-40 Connection Facebook
and Rob Fuller Motorsports Facebook pages during the
two events. |
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Source:
Nealie Stufflet / Rob Fuller Motorsports
Posted:
August 7, 2014 |
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