By Ann Marie Shambaugh
It wasn’t supposed to be like this.
After beating a cancer that put a halt to his professional basketball career and surviving a cardiac arrest that left him dead – literally – for 22 minutes, Andrew Smith was eager to share his inspirational story as an honorary co-chair of the St.Vincent Cancer Run/Walk Challenge, a positive example of the miracle of modern medicine.
Instead, Andrew and his wife, Sam, will watch from the sidelines, as they found out in May that the T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma had returned.
“It was much harder the second time around, much, much harder,” said Sam, 24. “The first time we felt like there was a purpose behind it and we could use his story to help people get through their hardships, but the second time it just makes less sense to us.”
For Andrew, 25, who grew up in Zionsville, the repeat diagnosis has led to more questions than answers.
“[Doctors] will give you predictions, but nothing is definitive,” he said. “With cancer you never really know.”
A rocky start
It all started less than a year into the Smith’s fairytale marriage. High school sweethearts at Covenant Christian, the couple wed after Andrew graduated from Butler University, where he was a key player on the men’s basketball team that made it to the national championship game two years in a row.
Soon after the wedding, the young couple moved to Lithuana for Andrew to begin his pro basketball career. It wasn’t long before he was diagnosed with cancer, and he returned home for treatment.
Later that year, only three days into his new job at Mina Leasing and Financing in Plainfield, he collapsed and suffered a cardiac arrest that lasted 22 minutes. Amazingly, he survived with almost no long term effects.
Andrew received his final chemo treatment in December 2014, and the young couple was eager to begin living a normal life. They bought their first home together in Irvington and enjoyed finding a new, regular, routine.
That changed in May, when Andrew noticed swelling in his neck, the same symptom he had with his first cancer diagnosis. Thinking it could be caused by a dental problem, they hoped for the best.
Their worlds came crashing down when they learned the cancer had returned.
“Anytime your husband’s life is threatened, it’s obviously very scary,” Sam said. “So for it to happen multiple times, with the first cancer diagnosis, then the cardiac arrest, it just keeps coming and it just gets tiring.”
A new mission
Although they are still sorting through waves of emotions facing a battle they never wanted to fight again, the Smiths are hoping that they can use their situation to help others.
Andrew is planning to undergo a bone marrow transplant to reset his immune system once his cancer is in remission. Doctors quickly found a donor on the national registry list after his family members were ruled out as a match, but the couple has learned that others are not so fortunate.
That’s why instead of running, which is now out of the question for Andrew, the Smiths have organized a booth at the St.Vincent Cancer Run/Walk Challenge to distribute information on bone marrow donations and allow people to sign up to become a donor on the spot.
“We’re really hoping to get a lot of people on the registry,” Sam said. “We had no idea until we were faced with the relapse and the bone marrow transplant how easy it is to get on it and how few are on it.”
The Smiths blog about their journey at kickingcancerwiththesmiths.wordpress.com. They never expected that their world would turn into a medical roller coaster, but they are hoping that they can connect with other families dealing with the uncertainty of cancer.
“It’s a wild beast inside of you,” Sam said. “It does what it wants.”
The Challenge
The St.Vincent Cancer Run/Walk Challenge has raised more than $1.2 million to support cancer patients and their families. Past events have led to the purchase of machines to better detect cancer, a mobile screening van, art therapy and much more.
This year, the hospital’s wish list includes a Women’s Boutique at the Cancer Center in Indianapolis, imaging software to improve breast and prostate cancer diagnosis, chemo infusion recliners and exam tables. Organizers are hoping for about 1,200 participants to help raise $500,000.
For the first time this year, the event includes a 5K and chip timing. Participants are invited to walk or run in either event.
“It can be either a family-friendly event or a training event,” said Megan Painter, an organizer of the event, whose niece is battling lymphoma.
Volunteers are needed to help with set up, tear down, pit stops, cheer stations, safety and more. Sign up as a volunteer at www.SignUpGenius.com/go/20F054BAAA72DA5FE3-2015 or email [email protected].
St.Vincent Cancer Run/Walk Challenge
When: 7:30 a.m. Sept. 19
Where: 5K and 10-mile routes start and end at Lions Park in Zionsville
Cost: $65 for the 10-mile route and $45 for the 5K through Sept. 18
More info: http://svhf.convio.net/site/TR?fr_id=1051&pg=entry
