As a hot air balloonist, Deb has always forged her own path, never letting anything stand in her way. So after being diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer, she was unwilling to quietly succumb to the statistics.
At a time when patients diagnosed with this type of cancer had less than optimistic survival statistics with traditional treatments, Deb decided to take another approach by participating in a clinical trial offered at Carle Cancer Center. Which gave her access to the latest research. Since her diagnosis, several new drugs have completed clinical trial and become available as standard treatments. Standing here eight years later, she knows she made the decision that was right for her.
In addition to participating in the clinical trial, Deb was willing to do everything in her power to give herself an edge in the fight. When her husband heard that patients involved in support groups had higher success rates, she decided to join Carle Clinic’s Cancer Support Group. There, she immediately bonded with the other people in her group, and experienced firsthand how they drew strength from each other. In fact, she found the experience so powerful that she continues to volunteer with cancer support groups to this day.
Combining her passion for ballooning with the new mission she took away from her own fight against cancer, Deb celebrated her five-year survivorship by buying a new hot air balloon adorned with the blue ribbons that represent colon cancer survivorship.
She shares her story of triumph over the odds with everyone who’ll listen, showing others by example that with the right attitude and the right people by their sides, those facing cancer can rise to any challenge.