Lynn Knippers never thought of herself as a sun worshiper. She had friends who spent a lot of time in the sun, and some who even used tanning beds. It was just daily life, and an admitted lack of sunscreen, that led to her melanoma diagnosis.
“I had a headache that would not go away,” Knippers says. “Then I began having problems walking straight, along with nausea and vomiting. My wife Barb took me to the emergency room, and we thought it was a migraine.”
It was a lot more serious than that. Doctors performed a CT scan, and found two tumors in her brain and two more near her lung and heart.
Knippers says, “Barb started crying, but I went into a ‘taking care of business’ mode – or in my exact words, ‘I’m going to beat this s**t.’ I must admit I asked the doctor for some valium, but I had a determination about me that I was going to win this fight.”
So the treatments began, and there soon were signs of improvement. It was a very long road, but today Knippers says she has been tumor-free since 2015.
Later this month she is leading a group of “Ambassadors” for the Oklahoma American Cancer Society’s Second Annual “Run For Hope,” beginning at 7 a.m. July 20 at the OU Health Sciences Center, 1100 N Lindsay.
“We plan to start early before it gets too hot,” says Alicia Jackson, community development manager for OKACS. “This fun run, 5K and 10K gives supporters a chance to walk or run in honor or memory of a loved one who has battled any form of cancer. It’s a family-friendly event, and we hope everyone will come out and join us. At OKACS we are attacking cancer every day, but we need the public’s support to continue the good fight.”
For additional information on “Run For Hope” or to register, go to RunForHopeOKC.org.
- More than 1.7 million new cancer cases are expected to be diagnosed in 2019.
- In the US, approximately 39 out of 100 men and 38 out of 100 women will develop cancer during their lifetime
- The 5-year relative survival rate for all cancers combined has increased substantially since the early 1960s, from 39% to 70% among whites and 27% to 63% among blacks.
MORE RUNS FOR GOOD CAUSES
Lace up your running shoes and add these health-conscious races to your calendar
2019 Run Like Health 5K
Friday, July 12
Wheeler Ferris Wheel
1701 S Western Ave, OKC
Caleb’s Cause Foundation’s 8th Annual 5k & 1 Mile Fun Run
Friday, Aug. 23 – Saturday, Aug. 24
Lake Hefner
9101 Lake Hefner Pkwy, OKC
OKC Brain Tumor Walk/5K Run Believing for a Cure
Saturday, Sept. 14
Stars and Stripes Park
3701 S Lake Hefner Drive, OKC
Save Your Skin 5K
Friday, Sept. 20 – Saturday, Sept. 21
Wheeler Ferris Wheel
1701 S Western Ave, OKC
St. Jude Walk/Run
Saturday, Sept. 28
Myriad Botanical Gardens
301 W Reno Ave, OKC
Outpace Cancer Race
Friday, Oct. 4 – Saturday, Oct. 5
Stephenson Cancer Center
800 NE 10th St, OKC
2019 ZERO Prostate Cancer Run/Walk
Sunday, Oct. 6
Stars and Stripes Park Lake Hefner
3701 S Lake Hefner Drive, OKC
