American Cancer Society 2015: Finish the Fight

SURVIVOR

More Than SURVIVING

In summer 2008, Brian Green noticed a lump in one of his testicles. He went to see his urologist, who didn’t like the ultrasound results. Three days later, Green had his testicle removed.

“It happened very fast,” he says. “It was great because I had no choice. If I had weeks to think about it, it would’ve been much worse.”

Then six days after his surgery, Green’s doctor called: It was cancer.

Green was referred to Lawrence Einhorn, an Indianapolis-based oncologist. Einhorn recommended that Green get regular CT scans and blood tests because his post-surgery scans were clean.

“He wanted to wait and see if the cancer had metastasized before more surgery or having chemotherapy,” says Green.

After he hit his five-year mark of clean CT scans, Green wanted to give back but had no idea how to get started. Then he and his wife got an email from Jodi Zerbe, a Relay For Life organizer, who wanted to rebuild the Mason RFL. “It was perfect timing [and] just what I was looking for. It turned out to be so much more. To be around other survivors, it’s a really great feeling,” he says.

“I kind of played it down that I was a survivor but with [RFL], I couldn’t walk away from it.”

Green co-chaired the Mason RFL last year and is co-chairing again this June.

“A lot of my family is now getting involved,” he says. “We have our own relay team. They’ve realized how important it is to me. It’s about fighting and beating cancer.” ■ If you or someone you know has cancer, contact the American Cancer Society at 800-227-2345, 365 days a year, 24/7, or visit cancer.org. To volunteer, call 866-227-6446.

ACS-10

AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY