Join the fight
Join #TeamDan and #StevesArmy in their fight by running in the #ThrowOutCancer 5k benefiting Emily’s Power for a Cure, outside Hamilton Place mall Oct. 29 at 8 a.m.The race is being organized by East Brainerd resident Zach Ward — whose uncle is Steve Ward of #StevesArmy and whose father works with Dan Summerlin of #TeamDan — as his Eagle Scout project.“I saw how my dad’s friend and uncle were affected by cancer, and wanted to help raise awareness for them and for Emily’s Power for a Cure,” Zach Ward said, referencing the local foundation that raises awareness and funds to help find a cure for the childhood cancer neuroblastoma. “What’s a better cause than supporting cancer? Everyone is affected by it.”He said he also wants his uncle to be around to see him win the state championship in wrestling. Colon cancer, with which Steve Ward was diagnosed, along with neuroblastoma and the type of secondary bone cancer Dan Summerlin has, currently have no cure.“With certain types of cancer, the goal is to keep the person alive,” said Dan Summerlin’s wife Scottie. “That’s why it’s so important that funding be available for finding a cure.”The deadline to register for the 5k and be guaranteed a race T-shirt is Oct. 24, but runners also have the option to register the day of the race starting at 6 a.m.The race will be held in the upper level of the Belk parking lot at Hamilton Place mall, located at 2100 Hamilton Place Blvd. To register, visit emilyspowerforacure.com.
While Scottie Summerlin and Deseret Ward both live in the small community of Signal Mountain, and have children who are about the same age, the two women had never met until this year, when both of their husbands were diagnosed with incurable cancers.
Summerlin’s husband, Dan Summerlin, was diagnosed with paraganglioma, otherwise known as stage IV secondary bone cancer. Before his diagnosis, he had previously had a benign tumor removed, but had no indication he was sick until he broke his arm during a church softball game. The break was caused by a malignant tumor – and it wasn’t the only one.
About a month later, on June 15, Ward’s husband Steve was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer and given a life expectancy of two years.
“When you get a diagnosis, it’s a total life change,” said Steve Ward, as to how the disease has impacted his life. “When you start treatment, you see so many sick people – how many lives cancer affects.”