Source: The Oral Cancer Foundation
Author: John Pohl

Chattanooga Walk  Promotes Early Detection of Oral Cancer!


Chattanooga, Tennessee derives its name from a Cherokee word that means “big catch” and refers to the great fishing that can be found on the Tennessee River.  And “big catch” is exactly what the cause of oral cancer detection has landed in the way of Jeanna Richelson, a very determined Chattanooga-based engineer and oral cancer survivor who is very clearly on a mission.

On Saturday, April 10, Jeanna organized the First Annual Chattanooga Oral Cancer Awareness Walk, which raised over $18,000 for the Oral Cancer Foundation.  According to Foundation founder and executive director Brian Hill, “I don’t believe there has ever been an oral cancer walk that was this successful in its first year.  This was an absolutely amazing effort by Jeanna.”

Less than one year ago, it dawned on Jeanna that while other types of cancer had support groups, there was no support group for oral cancer in the Chattanooga area.  Not one to sit around and wait for things to happen, Jeanna let local hospitals and media know that she was starting such a group.  Only one other person attended the group’s first meeting in 2009.  Fortunately, word soon started to spread, and today the group numbers 20 members.  One of these members is Kathi Gill, who lives just across the Tennessee-Georgia border and who had attended an oral cancer walk in Nashville in 2009.  Last fall, Kathi suggested that the group organize a walk in Chattanooga.  April 10 was selected as the date, and the team, with Jeanna leading the way, got to work.

One of Jeanna’s first moves was to contact the Oral Cancer Foundation’s New Jersey-based Event Coordinator, Susan Lauria.  Susan, who had organized walks in New Jersey for two years before agreeing to become the Foundation’s liaison with walk organizers across the country, was a tremendous resource.  “Susan not only answered every question I had,” said Jeanna, “she made me aware of so many important steps that I otherwise would never have even considered.”  Thanks to Susan’s counsel, the planning and dedication of Jeanna and her team, and the generosity of the Chattanooga community, the event came off without a hitch.

Prior to the 2.5 mile walk, the more-than-300 participants listened to inspirational talks by five oral cancer survivors:  Jeanna; Amber Olinger; William Pressley; ABC Channel 9 TV personality Marcia Kling; and Charlie Poor, who drove from Atlanta to attend the event.  The event’s emcee was Cydney Miller, Mrs. Tennessee International, who is a staunch advocate of early cancer detection.  In fact, Cydney had read about the walk on Jeanna’s CaringBridge website and contacted her to ask how she could help out.

Participants were treated to a deli lunch donated by Jason’s Deli and soft drinks donated by the local Coca Cola and Pepsi bottlers.  To make sure that everyone was comfortable while they ate, Kathi Gill and her husband brought chairs and tables they had borrowed from their church.

Following the walk, a raffle and silent auction took place, featuring such items as a dinner and wine for eight donated by Bonefish Grill, and several items donated by the Tennessee Titans NFL football team.

While Chattanooga’s Memorial Hospital and BMW of Chattanooga made very generous donations of $1,000 each, the largest donation was made by a former customer of Jeanna’s employer, Siskin Steel.  This gentleman drove from his home in Alabama to attend the event as a further demonstration of his support for Jeanna.  Also lending support to Jeanna was hygienist Nicki Raines, who had organized two oral cancer walks in Nashville and who recently was named the Oral Cancer Foundation’s Southeast Dental Hygiene Liaison.

One week after the march, a related event was held at Memorial Hospital when Dr. Peter Hunt, an ENT specialist, conducted free oral cancer screenings on 54 people.  Dr. Hunt was assisted by several hygiene students from Chattanooga State Community College.

According to Jeanna, “Our walk was a wonderful opportunity for oral cancer survivors to meet, share stories and, most of all, learn that they’re not alone.”  If anyone has a compelling story, it is Jeanna.  A lifelong non-smoker, she was diagnosed with cancer in a lymph node on the right side of her neck in 2001.  She underwent surgery to remove both the lymph node and her tonsils, hoping that her cancer was behind her.  She married Robert Richelson in 2002, but six months after her wedding, she was diagnosed with cancer at the base of her tongue.  Determined to get the best care possible for his wife, Robert quit his job and took his new bride to the world-renowned M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas for several months of treatment including six weeks of radiation therapy.  The couple then returned to Chattanooga, where Jeanna received chemotherapy treatment for the remainder of the year.  She was cancer-free for two years, but in early 2005 the cancer returned, this time in her thyroid.  Jeanna and Robert headed back to M. D. Anderson for more radiation therapy.  By the time the therapy was completed, Jeanna had been subjected to over 90 radiation treatments.  Fortunately, they seem to have done the trick, as Jeanna has been cancer-free for four years.

In addition to an extremely supportive and caring husband, Jeanna has been blessed to have a very compassionate employer.  “Both times I had to take a leave of absence to get treatment, Siskin Steel could not have been more understanding,” said Jeanna.  “And each time my treatment was completed, I was welcomed back to my old position as if nothing had happened.”

Jeanna Richelson is fortunate to have a great husband and a great employer in her corner.  And the cause of oral cancer awareness is fortunate to have Jeanna Richelson on its team.