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10/14/2014 |
ROB FULLER
MOTORSPORTS AND 15-40 CONNECTION HIGHLIGHT
New Cancer Survivor Story in
Season Finale Race
Rob Russo chosen to
be featured on #15 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour entry
at Thompson Speedway and attend race as Honorary Crew Member |
This
season in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour (NWMT),
Rob Fuller Motorsports (RFM) and 15-40 Connection
have teamed up to share the journey of diagnosis of
four young adult cancer survivors. Now, the duo is
proud to announce the addition of Rob Russo’s story
to the non-profit’s educational program.
Russo’s journey to cancer diagnosis was added to the
platform after a call-to-action from RFM and 15-40
Connection surrounding the New Hampshire Motor
Speedway race asking fans to help expand the “Learn
From Me” series.
Russo, who was diagnosed with testicular cancer at
age 23, submitted his story to be shared with young
people to open the conversation of early cancer
detection. He will be featured on the No. 15
Chevrolet piloted by Todd Szegedy at Thompson
Speedway on Oct. 19 and will attend the NASCAR
Whelen Modified Tour race as an honorary crew
member.
At the age of 23, Russo was finishing up his
Master’s Degree and consulting in a bike shop. He
went on a normal mountain bike ride with some
friends and the next day he had severe back pain and
was barely able to get out of bed.
“I wrote it off as sleeping wrong or being out of
shape,” said Russo. “At this same time, though, I
began to notice a growth in my right testicle. It
began to grow in size and became painful to touch
and move during daily activity. I knew something was
wrong, but figured I’d give it a couple weeks to go
away and then a couple more, which then turned into
six months.”
Russo was embarrassed to tell anyone but eventually
confided in his best friend who encouraged him to
see a doctor. After visiting his general
practitioner, he was immediately sent to see a
specialist.
“An ultrasound revealed that there were definite
abnormalities,” Russo continued. “At this point I
could no longer keep it a secret and I had to tell
my parents. As you might imagine, within three days
I was sitting with the surgeon. I was diagnosed with
Stage 2 testicular cancer. My delay had given it
time to spread up the spermatic cord out of the
testis.”
Russo underwent nine weeks of intensive
chemotherapy. He now encourages friends to do
self-exams and “get to know what’s going on down
there – normally - so they don’t run the risk of
dismissing away health changes that turn out to
actually be symptoms of a big problem.”
Following his experience, Russo now advises, “get to
know your normal and don’t wait to get checked out
if you KNOW something’s off.”
Russo, in part, entered his story to be an honorary
crew member at the Thompson Speedway season finale
to return to the track where he spent many years
with this father, Bob Russo. Rob worked with his
father on the No. 14 TIS Modified doing everything
from jacking the car to body work and car setup.
“It is a past time that my father and I share and is
a good bonding experience for us.” Russo said.
Russo’s full story can be found at:
http://bit.ly/1540Russo.
To learn more, please visit
www.15-40.org or
Facebook.com/1540Connection. |
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Source: Nealie Stufflet / Rob Fuller Motorsports
Posted:
October 14, 2014 |
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