Brandon Twp.- When a quarter-size mass was detected in Marg Bovan’s annual mammogram in April 2006, she and her doctors weren’t overly concerned.
The now 53-year-old had gone through biopsies twice before, with benign results. Her doctor and surgeon were confident it was scar tissue. But it wasn’t. Bovan was diagnosed with a very aggressive stage 2 breast cancer.
‘It was a complete shock,? she recalls. ‘It felt like someone punched me in the stomach.?
The wife and mother of a daughter, now 15, and son, 13, chose to have a lumpectomy and spent her summer having chemotherapy, followed by radiation.
‘The year was a blur,? says Bovan.
During treatment, she thought of her father, who died of liver cancer at the age of 52, when she was just 16.
‘I was thinking of my father and everyone else but me,? Bovan said. ‘After surgery, I was confident I would be OK. I had to keep a positive frame of mind for myself and my family. What you don’t understand until you go through it is, it isn’t a one-person disease, it affects the whole family.?
Now, nearly two years later, Bovan and her family are preparing to participate in the first ever Relay for Life of Brandon/Ortonville. Bovan is part of a committee planning the 24-hour walk to benefit the American Cancer Society. The relay will be 10 a.m.-10 p.m. on June 21-22 at the Brandon Schools Athletic Complex, 209 Varsity Drive.
Colleen Cordner, Relay for Life of Brandon/Ortonville chairperson, is excited to have the event held here for the first time after participating in Oxford last year.
‘We have a lot of great givers in our community who like to get involved in good projects, and a lot whose lives have been touched by cancer,? said Cordner, whose father recently died of pancreatic cancer.
As a 24-hour walk, Relay for Life consists of teams, with each team committing to have someone on the track from the team at all times during the 24-hour walk. Walkers can have someone sponsor them or the whole team, or the event. Each team has a tent and someone spends the night. There are themes for each hour, such as walking backwards or wearing pajamas. The relay also features entertainment and an emotionally moving luminary ceremony. Bovan will participate in the survivor walk.
‘We want to get people fired up to join teams, create their own teams, and participate,? Cordner said. ‘Relay for Life is teaching the community to fight back, to commit to getting breast exams, GI screenings, follow-up with their doctors, and stop smoking. It’s not just to raise money, but also to educate. It’s to remember the people who were here and celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer.?
Relay for Life of Brandon/Ortonville Kick-off Celebration is set for March 26, 6:30 p.m. registration, 7-8 p.m. program, at the Old Town Hall, 478 Mill St., in Ortonville. Details: (248) 663-3448 or Erin.Oke@cancer.org