May 15, 2015 5 min read

Since 2003, Janice Coen has fielded a team for the American Cancer Society’s annual Relay for Life at Chartiers-Houston High School.

On Saturday, the two-time cancer survivor will be front and center again as captain of the Lucky Stars. Her “floating” team of 10 includes a niece who was diagnosed with breast cancer in December and completed her chemotherapy just last week.

“There’s a misconception about the relay that you have to have a big team and raise thousands and thousands of dollars. No matter what you raise, it’s helping,” Coen said.

Coen, 62, of South Strabane Township was diagnosed with an aggressive form of lymphoma in 2002 following surgery to remove a growth in her nose. Dr. Jeffrey Banyas, an otolaryngologist in McMurray, said the growth could be one of several things, such as papilloma, which is a benign tumor, or a cyst.

“We never expected it was lymphoma,” said Coen, who credits Banyas with saving her life. “It’s not a normal site for lymphoma. When he told me, I said, ‘That wasn’t one of your choices.'”

Still, Coen was lucky. The growth was stage 1, and it responded well to treatment. Coen had chemotherapy and five weeks of daily radiation. Each radiation treatment took only five minutes, but the prep was tedious. Coen was fitted with a facial mask, which was then clamped to the table and marked to target the radiation.

“Fortunately, I’m not claustrophobic,” she said.

Coen’s team raised $3,500 its first year. However, most of her team bailed on her the day of the relay, unable to deal with the 50-degree, rainy conditions. At 5 a.m., her husband, Bruce, arrived to take her home.

“He said, ‘There’s no sense surviving cancer, then dying of pneumonia,” Coen said.

In October 2012, when Coen was two months shy of reaching her 10-year cancer-free mark, she again was diagnosed with cancer. This time, it was uterine cancer – another aggressive form.

Coen had no pain, but she noticed some spotting. When she told her husband, he insisted she seek medical attention. The day after contacting her gynecologist, she was sent for a biopsy, and by the end of the week, she learned she had cancer. Doctors weren’t sure what type until Coen underwent a complete hysterectomy a month later. Turns out, she had clear-cell carcinoma, and it was self-contained.

“They didn’t know what to do with me. Usually, it’s stage 3 or 4 by the time they find it,” Coen said.

She had chemotherapy again, plus three 15-minute radiation treatments.

“When I got hit with the second one, I started reading. I read where there was a five-year survival rate,” Coen said. “I was determined to fight as much as I could.”

Obviously, Coen can’t emphasize enough the importance of the relay. Her highest fundraising total was $11,000, the bulk of which was raised from cancer awareness bracelets she and her friends made. Her goal this year is $6,300.

“I never want to go below $5,000,” she said.

About eight years ago, Coen also became survivor chairwoman for the relay and is amazed at the camraderie survivors have.

“I’ve met some very interesting people,” she said. “We’re seeing people come back. More and more people are surviving and living longer.”

Relay for Life was started in 1985 by Dr. Gordy Klatt, who wanted to show his cancer patients that he supported them in their fight. The relay is a celebration of survivorship and is helping to fund the fight against cancer.

Two relays will be held in Washington County this weekend. They are:

• Chartiers-Houston, 11 a.m. Saturday to 11 a.m. Sunday at Chartiers-Houston High School. The opening ceremony will start at 10:45 a.m., and Mitch Zavallo, a senior at Trinity High School, will cut the ribbon. Zavallo has Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma of the bone, a rare cancer that begins in the bone, rather than the lymph nodes. The cancer is aggressive and, because of its origin, is more likely to recur.

Among the many activities scheduled for the 24-hour event are doughnut-eating, frozen T-shirt and egg-tossing contests; cheese puff toss; unicycle team and karate performances; dance hour and karaoke. The caregivers lap and ceremony will be held at 8 p.m. Saturday, with the luminaria ceremony at 9 p.m.

• Peters Township, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday at Peters Township Middle School. Activities include a lollipop lap, scavenger hunt, hourly gift raffles, ’80s pop star contest and team karaoke. Entertainment will be provided by the LOCKdown Band, Man and the Arena, singer Stephen Rothaar and Faultline Band. The survivor ceremony begins at 7:30 p.m. so survivors can attend the Chartiers-Houston relay if they choose, and the luminaria ceremony starts at 9 p.m.

For more information and a complete list of events, visit www.relayforlife.org, then type in your ZIP code, or call 724-222-6911.