• 12/3/2007
  • web-based article
  • staff
  • google-sina.com

Lance Mackey beat cancer back in 2001 and on Tuesday he won the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Nome, Alaska. Mackey was diagnosed with neck cancer in 2001 and received surgery and radiation for his treatment.

Lance owns a kennel named Lance Mackey’s Comeback Kennel. He indeed made a comeback, he has back to back wins in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race and the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race.

Mackey’s status as a cancer survivor and champion musher will inspire other people with cancer, said Christine Schultz, 42, of Nome, a medical social worker who stood out in subzero temperatures with co-workers from Norton Sound Regional Hospital to watch Mackey cross the finish line. “I think it gives people hope they can overcome cancer and live their dreams,” she said.

Don’t ever doubt I can’t do something,” Mackey said in Nome after his win. “I lived through cancer.”

OCF Note: This is a news story that we picked up off the general newswires. We put it here to show other cancer patients that even after a battle with this disease, that life can be more than survival, it can be good and that they can return to a full life. It is about cancer, not about the Iditarod. We have been contacted by advocates for the dogs used in these races, detailing the hard and sometimes harsh life, and sometimes even cruel manner in which they are treated. We are not endorsing any cruel treatment of these beautiful animals, nor promoting the race itself. We are using a story that was put out in the general media by others to illustrate that even after a battle with a deadly disease, life can go on. If you read the story including the quote from the medical worker we think this is clear. We applaud the work of those that endeavor to better the treatment of these animals, but wish them to understand we are not reprinting a story about the race, the dogs, the harsh life they lead, or glorifying something that has caused harm. It is a story about life after cancer – and in writing us, we think they should keep perspective on the intentions of people that like them, are trying to see a better world.