Susan G. Komen Survivor Story - Gretchen George

Susan G. Komen Tri-Cities Race For The Cure
Survivor Story – Gretchen George
By Hank Brown


Excuse Gretchen George if she has a few more butterflies than normal when she steps to the line for the Susan G. Komen Tri-Cities Race For The Cure on October 25th in Kingsport. It’s certainly not because she is running a 5K race. For someone who runs marathons, completing the 5K distance is not a big deal. The “big deal” is what this race stands for - finding a cure for breast cancer, promoting early detection, and celebrating life.

“Oh yeah, this race means a lot to me,” said Gretchen. “So many people were there for me when I was diagnosed with breast cancer, so now I want to be there for others.”

At just 33 years old, this pretty pre-school teacher looks like she could be a model on the cover of Runner’s World magazine. She certainly does not look the part of a cancer survivor, especially one who was diagnosed less than a year ago. But Gretchen is not one of those people who will let things get her down. Running has always been her outlet, even after a double mastectomy in January, followed up with difficult chemo treatments.

“There were times I was really sick from the chemo, losing my hair and all that, and I would still go out and run. People would ask me how I did it. Staying healthy is the key. If I hadn’t been healthy already, the chemo would have been really hard.”

Gretchen has always been an active person. She ran track in middle school and high school, and kept running in college for fitness. A few years ago, when she was going through a separation and fighting a nasty custody battle, she used running as an outlet.

“I ran a lot of miles,” she admitted. “It was good therapy. I got rid of my anger out on the road.”

Then a friend got her into running half marathons, which eventually led to her first marathon, the Myrtle Beach Marathon in 2006. She also got her twin sister, Gretta, into running marathons, signing her up for the Walt Disney Marathon the next year. She got hooked, and admitted that it turned into an obsession, running a total of 7 marathons over the course of about two years.

About this time last year, while training for the Marine Corps Marathon, she started feeling a pain in the side of her breast. She noticed her running was inconsistent, some good runs, but lots of bad ones. She has always been anemic, so she thought maybe her blood was low. She didn’t think much of it, but her boyfriend, Scott convinced her to go to the doctor.

“Because of my family history, my doctor wanted me to get a mammogram and ultrasound. I went for the tests on December 19th and got the results right after Christmas.”

The tests confirmed her worst nightmare - she had breast cancer. She was only 33 years old, the picture of health, a marathon runner, and she had cancer.

When she was only 2 years old, she had been diagnosed with adrenal gland cancer, so this was her second time with cancer. Her mom convinced her to have a genetic test for the cancer gene, TP-53, and that also came back positive. This gene makes you more likely to get other types of cancer. Her father had died of cancer when she was only 17. Several others on her father’s side of the family had also died of cancer.

“When I found out I had the cancer gene, it made it real. I was only 33 and I had this cancer gene. But I knew I had to get through it. I have a daughter to live for. And I’m so thankful for Scott. I would have never gotten it checked if he had not stayed after me. We were lucky we caught the breast cancer early. It was only in stage 2, but the cancer was a stage 3, aggressive cancer.”

If Gretchen had breast cancer, and she had the genetic cancer gene, it seemed likely that her twin sister could also get cancer. She convinced Gretta to get checked, and the tests came back positive for both breast cancer and the cancer gene.

Luckily, Gretta’s cancer was found very early. She will go for a mastectomy in October, but not until after she runs the Chicago Marathon. Gretchen will be there as a cheerleader.

Gretchen’s doctor has now cleared her to train again, and she already has her sights on her next marathon – the Run For Donna on February 21st in Jacksonville. Why this marathon? The proceeds go to breast cancer research.

But before Jacksonville, Gretchen George has a very important engagement at the Tri-Cities Race For The Cure.

“This race means so much to me and so many other survivors,” said Gretchen. “It shows you can come back. Running to me meant life. It means you can beat cancer.”