Racing Toward a Cure

Darcy Phillips’ Relay for Life

October 27, 2009

Darcy Phillips ’11 will speak about her experiences as a cancer survivor at the second Dickinson College Relay for Life. Phillips helped bring the American Cancer Society fundraiser to Dickinson last year.

It’s tough to envision Darcy Phillips ’11 as anything but a vital, engaged young woman with a bright gaze to the future. But when she was diagnosed with childhood cancer on Sept. 9, 1999, her prospects were not so clear.
“I remember that day so vividly—minute by minute, play by play,” says Phillips, a political-science major from Ottawa Hill, Ohio, who finds significance in the date’s alluring symmetry: 9/9/99. “It was unreal.”

Phillips, who had just begun fifth grade, had been home sick from school, suffering from what first seemed to be a sinus infection or strep throat. “I was a little thinner and paler than usual, but it wasn’t a big concern,” she remembers. “After a week, though, my mother took me to a different doctor to check it out.”

Tests revealed that that Phillips had acute lymphoblastic leukemia. She entered the hospital and began treatment that night. “I was old enough to know that it was serious, but I didn’t cry right away,” says Phillips, who says that her parents maintained a strong front for her benefit. “It didn’t really hit me until my brothers [Andrew, now 24, Duncan, now 22, and Morgan, now 18] walked into the room, and I saw they were crying.”

A ‘heavy-duty’ cure

The chemotherapy fatigued Phillips and made her ill, and she had to miss a lot of school. The treatments also were taxing to the preteen’s budding identity. “I put on a ton of weight, and my hair changed completely because of the steroids I was on,” says Phillips. But, she says, the ordeal was also clarifying. “I remember hearing other kids complain about their school projects, right after I was coming off of a chemotherapy drug, and I realized that some things weren’t worth worrying about, in the big picture. It was pretty heavy-duty stuff … College was a distant dream. It was like: ‘Let’s just get through today. ’ ”

Bolstered by her family’s strong support, Phillips fought the disease. After more than two years of chemotherapy and radiation, she went into remission, and five years later, she was declared cancer-free. “I had a big party for all of my family and friends,” she says.

Three years have since passed, and Phillips says that she still benefits from the insights she gained while battling leukemia. “I never defined myself by [my cancer], but it did bring me closer to other people,” she says. “It also gave me drive, and it taught me to really love myself and be thankful for every day.”

Giving back

Today, Phillips channels the focus and optimism that saw her through her illness into helping others. Last spring, she brought Relay for Life to Dickinson.

Relay is a national fundraiser for the American Cancer Association. Proceeds are used to spread awareness about cancer, to develop treatments and cures and to offer quality-of-life services to cancer patients and their families.

Phillips had realized that, while some members of the Dickinson community had long participated in the Carlisle Relay for Life, few students were able to take part, because the event typically occurs after the close of the school year. So she helped organize a Dickinson Relay to be held while students are still on campus.

In the end, 405 participants on 46 teams raised $42,000—a sum that exceeded the committee’s original goal of $30,000 by a full 40 percent. “I was thrilled and impressed with the generosity of the Dickinson community,” says Phillips.

A community approach

Dickinson’s second Relay for Life, set for March 26, signifies another personal triumph for Phillips. She reports that this year, the Dickinson Relay committee plans to attract a larger base of participants and has set an increased goal of $60,000, accordingly. “It’s not just a student thing. We really hope to bring the whole community together, including faculty, administration and employees,” she says, adding that participants do not need to stay at the Kline Center during the entire all-night event.

As she did during the 2009 Relay, Phillips hopes to inspire cancer patients and their loved ones by speaking about her experiences during the event. And she looks forward to testimonies from other Dickinsonians. Such disclosure and collaboration is important, she feels, because it takes a supportive community to battle the disease, one patient at a time.

“Most people have no idea that more than seven years of my life were spent on battling cancer, and it’s a cool thing to share,” says Phillips. “Cancer can happen to any of us, and just about everyone has been—or knows someone who has been—affected by it. We can all work together and help each other.”