MINNEAPOLIS & PASADENA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--With good treatment, a good outlook and what he calls his “magic pill,” Don Wright completed 100 marathons while undergoing treatment for multiple myeloma, a blood cancer that affects cells in the bone marrow. Now, eRace Cancer, an online campaign to educate patients about advances and innovations in treatments, says the 77-year-old attorney from Minnesota is aiming to qualify for track and field events at the National Senior Games, beginning with his first qualifying event June 2nd at California State University, Los Angeles.
“I’m competing one day before the 2018 National Cancer Survivors Day, and I hope my message of possibilities after a difficult prognosis provides encouragement for anyone battling this difficult disease,” says Don Wright. “Fifteen years ago, I was given less than five years to live. Instead, I’m living a normal life and able to run in competitive races because of treatments that weren’t even invented at the time of my diagnosis.”
Don plans to begin with the 1500-meter race at the California-Pasadena Senior Games on June 2nd, and may enter as many as three additional runs even though he is still on active treatment.
“This is not your grandfather’s chemotherapy!” says Don. “I’m now on two cancer medications – a pill I can take at home and an intravenous medicine that requires me to go to the medical center for regular infusions. These are medicines powerful enough to keep my cancer in check, and yet they allow me to continue racing. We should be excited about maintaining this medical momentum, until we reach a cure.”
Don is also fighting for affordable access to new cancer therapies. THE COST OF HEALTHCARE NEWS says that when people talk about high drug costs, they are really talking about high out-of-pocket costs under their insurance plan. Don says, “If you’re like me and you have good insurance, the copays are manageable, but not everyone is as fortunate as I am. Insurance copays should be manageable for everyone with cancer.”
The next National Senior Games will take place in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 2019, giving Don a year to get up to speed. Don plans to enter a total of nine qualifying events this year, beginning with the California-Pasadena track and field, June 2nd at Cal State L.A. on State University Drive in Los Angeles.
Read more about Don’s story at www.eRaceCancer.run, and follow him on social media at www.facebook.com/eRaceCancer, and www.twitter.com/eRaceCancer.
