KAREN LAND

I am a “dabbler” in endurance sports. But not until 3 months ago when my mother was diagnosed with

Uterine Carcinosarcoma, did I really begin to understand the true meaning of endurance.

When I was a little girl, Mom and I often watched all of the big marathons - Boston, New York City, Olympic - on television. From the starting line to the finish, we marveled at the runners, especially the women, who could cover such distances with amazing speed and focus and desire. Track and Field sprints didn’t interest us - it was the people who go FAR who captivated and excited us. “How can they do that?” we’d say to each other, inspired by such endurance.

“Follow along as six explorers and 42 dogs embark on a 7-month, 4000-mile dogsled crossing of Antarctica!” the cover read. I was hooked.

“Little did I know what I was starting...” Mom still says, shaking her head, holding back a smile.

I read and reread the booklet, studying the expedition maps and photographs of remote landscapes, weather-worn men, and the most beautiful dogs I’d ever seen. Those huskies, fluffy and sweet-faced on the outside, proud and tough-as-nails on the inside, stole the dog-adoring hearts of Mom and me.

Man and dogs embarking on a feat of endurance - someday I wanted to experience for myself all of the desire and planning, euphoria and pain, camaraderie and solitude of a long, long journey.

Thankfully with the help and support of my mom and many others, I have been able to make many of my dreams - moving to Montana, hiking the Appalachian Trail, mushing the Iditarod Sled Dog Race, running a few ultra-marathons - come true.

“I don’t know how you do that...” Mom says - always nervous and worried for me, always proud.

Right after a name was finally given to Mom’s illness, I rushed to the internet looking for answers. Unfortunately, Uterine Carcinosarcoma is a very rare and aggressive form of cancer - I could find very little information online. But then, thankfully, I stumbled across an online support group for women and caregivers. Within a day, Mom and I became friends with people all over the world, going through this same rare battle.

Uterine Carcinosarcoma is also known as Malignant Mixed Mullerian Tumor (MMMT).  Mimi Olsson of the Sarcoma Advocacy Advisory Committee, explains: "Uterine MMMT and its cousins - ovarian MMMT, adenosarcoma, or other sarcoma-based gynecologic cancers - have both carcinoma and sarcoma components."

According to the Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative, sarcoma "is a cancer of the connective tissues, such as nerves, muscles, cartilage, joints, bone, or blood vessels. About 1% of all adult cancers are sarcomas. Between 15-20% of all children's cancers are sarcomas."

All cancer is horrifying. But when your form of the disease is rare, the research is limited, and local gyno-oncologists with MMMT experience can be difficult to find, every woman fighting this cancer is pushed into a feat of endurance and perseverance, marching forward through uncharted territories.

The women and caregivers I met through the support group amaze me with their energy, joy, and determination. Many are in the midst of fighting their own daunting battles with gynecological cancers, yet every single day the same women take the time to write long and detailed responses to every question posted.

My mom, always impressed by the strengths of others and humble about her own,  says, “I don’t know how they do that...”

And I say, “You raised Dave (my brother) and me, took care of Dad, supported every wild hair I ever had... “

Even though she doesn’t see it, doesn’t know it, Mom has always had the devotion and stamina of an endurance athlete.

When it comes to cancer, it takes everything within a person to fight this beast. And that’s exactly what Mom is doing - fighting every long, hard step of the way.

“How does she do it?” I think to myself, so very proud of her.

July 17-25, 2010 is International Sarcoma Awareness Week (www.SarcomaHelp.org.). More MMMT information can be found at http://gynommmt.wordpress.com/.