Dawn Nankivell, left, Jacqueline Nankivell, Michelle Corino (Dawn's sister)HARRISON – Strength, belief, and purpose helped one woman and her family get through the most incredible of situations that, at any time, could have brought on tragedy.
When life-long Harrison resident Jackie Nankivell and her husband Daniel, a retired Harrison police captain, moved to the gulf coast of Florida their thoughts were most likely on the sun, sand and spending the rest of their lives relaxing and reflecting on a life well spent. Their daughter, Dawn and her partner Allison Springsteen were successful professionals raising their two-and-a half-year-old son Joseph and their other daughter Michelle and her husband Frank were raising their two-year old-daughter Cameron.
Then in 2005, Mrs. Nankivell was diagnosed with breast cancer.
“As you can imagine, when my Mom was first diagnosed with breast cancer it was scary but our family is strong and my Mom is the strongest of all of us,” Dawn Nankivell said. “She stood strong and knew she would beat it. And she did. She dealt with her chemo and got through it.”
After having a six to eight month rigorous regimen of chemotherapy and a mastectomy, Mrs. Nankivell, 54, was in remission and cancer free.
However, in June of 2007, after showing stroke-like symptoms and at the urging of her doctor, she went into the hospital for an emergency MRI that revealed a golf ball-size tumor located directly on the brain stem. Even though Mrs. Nankivell was devastated by the prognosis, she braved the events that followed.
After being transferred to Moffet Cancer Center in Tampa, she underwent a biopsy of the tumor that revealed Central Nervous System Lymphoma. This was a different type of cancer and not a re-occurrence or a lapse out of remission for the breast cancer.
What was worse was that the location of the malignant tumor made removal impossible.
She was given only 42 months to live.
“When I first learned the news of my Mom’s tumor, I felt like I was punched in the stomach and that I couldn’t breathe. I was distraught just thinking of what my mother would have to endure over the coming months after her diagnosis and remembering all that she went through to beat her breast cancer,” Dawn Nankivell said.
At that point, the doctors at Moffet, in collaboration with her local oncologist and top neuro-oncologists at Sloan Kettering in New York, prescribed a grueling and fairly cutting edge course of Methotrexate chemotherapy both into the bloodstream and directly into the brain for several months to shrink the tumor to a manageable size.
“After we found out, my sister and I left our respective families, got on a plane and went to join my Mom and Dad in Florida, to see her through the brain biopsy and find out the exact diagnosis,” Dawn said. “My Mom is my hero and the strongest woman I know – but the resolution in her eyes that she wouldn’t be able to beat this one, was almost too much to bear.”
After three months of this treatment, her tumor was brought to a manageable size and it has stayed this way ever since.
In September of 2007, Dawn and Allison became members of the New Jersey Chapter of the Lymphoma Research Foundation. The Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF) is the nation's largest lymphoma-focused voluntary health organization devoted exclusively to funding lymphoma research. The Foundation provides patients and health care professionals with critical information on the disease. LRF's mission is to eradicate lymphoma and serve those touched by this disease.
The loyal pair started Team Jackie Mac in May 2008, in honor of Mrs. Nankivell, a survivor against all odds. They participated in the LRF’s Lymphomathon, non-competitive 5K Walk for a Cure. Together we raised $2000 for the cause.
This year, their friends and family expressed a deep desire to join their team to help bring awareness and raise even more money to help find a cure for Lymphoma. Most of the team members are residents of Harrison or the surrounding areas and have joined our team because the Nankivells – especially since Daniel Nankivell had been a member of the police department) – are well known in town. When they heard the news of Jackie Nankivell’s illness, everyone wanted to do anything they could to help.
“I am proud to say that to date, Team Jackie Mac is 16 team members strong, and our team is currently ranked in first place among all teams registered to walk with almost $5000 raised so far. Our team goal is to raise $10,000 before the walk date of May 3,” Dawn said.
The walk on May 3 is in Mercer County Park West Picnic Area in West Windsor with the step off time at 10 a.m.
“My Mom comes to visit my sister and me here in New Jersey for several months at a time and I believe this is what keeps her spirits up,” Dawn said. “Being around her family and her grandchildren is what gives her the strength to accept her condition and make the most of her remaining time with us. Every moment is precious with her and we treasure the time we have with her.”
If anyone is interested in making a donation or participating in the walk, go to the following Web page:
http://www.lymphomathon.org/faf/search/searchTeamPart.asp?ievent=299241&lis=1&kntae299241=463FE365624B48DD970782EC5F497F62&team=3344095.
You can make a donation directly to our team and the donation deadline is May 2.
“What impressed us most about LRF was their complete and unwavering dedication to finding a cure for Lymphoma. We believe in miracles and in the power of positive thinking and so we began our search for a foundation to be a part of that had the same beliefs,” Dawn said. “I’ve learned through this that when you put a personal face on this cause, people respond. You never know whom or when cancer, any kind of cancer, will affect you or someone, you know or love. We have had such an outpouring of support from the town of Harrison.”
When life-long Harrison resident Jackie Nankivell and her husband Daniel, a retired Harrison police captain, moved to the gulf coast of Florida their thoughts were most likely on the sun, sand and spending the rest of their lives relaxing and reflecting on a life well spent. Their daughter, Dawn and her partner Allison Springsteen were successful professionals raising their two-and-a half-year-old son Joseph and their other daughter Michelle and her husband Frank were raising their two-year old-daughter Cameron.
Then in 2005, Mrs. Nankivell was diagnosed with breast cancer.
“As you can imagine, when my Mom was first diagnosed with breast cancer it was scary but our family is strong and my Mom is the strongest of all of us,” Dawn Nankivell said. “She stood strong and knew she would beat it. And she did. She dealt with her chemo and got through it.”
After having a six to eight month rigorous regimen of chemotherapy and a mastectomy, Mrs. Nankivell, 54, was in remission and cancer free.
However, in June of 2007, after showing stroke-like symptoms and at the urging of her doctor, she went into the hospital for an emergency MRI that revealed a golf ball-size tumor located directly on the brain stem. Even though Mrs. Nankivell was devastated by the prognosis, she braved the events that followed.
After being transferred to Moffet Cancer Center in Tampa, she underwent a biopsy of the tumor that revealed Central Nervous System Lymphoma. This was a different type of cancer and not a re-occurrence or a lapse out of remission for the breast cancer.
What was worse was that the location of the malignant tumor made removal impossible.
She was given only 42 months to live.
“When I first learned the news of my Mom’s tumor, I felt like I was punched in the stomach and that I couldn’t breathe. I was distraught just thinking of what my mother would have to endure over the coming months after her diagnosis and remembering all that she went through to beat her breast cancer,” Dawn Nankivell said.
At that point, the doctors at Moffet, in collaboration with her local oncologist and top neuro-oncologists at Sloan Kettering in New York, prescribed a grueling and fairly cutting edge course of Methotrexate chemotherapy both into the bloodstream and directly into the brain for several months to shrink the tumor to a manageable size.
“After we found out, my sister and I left our respective families, got on a plane and went to join my Mom and Dad in Florida, to see her through the brain biopsy and find out the exact diagnosis,” Dawn said. “My Mom is my hero and the strongest woman I know – but the resolution in her eyes that she wouldn’t be able to beat this one, was almost too much to bear.”
After three months of this treatment, her tumor was brought to a manageable size and it has stayed this way ever since.
In September of 2007, Dawn and Allison became members of the New Jersey Chapter of the Lymphoma Research Foundation. The Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF) is the nation's largest lymphoma-focused voluntary health organization devoted exclusively to funding lymphoma research. The Foundation provides patients and health care professionals with critical information on the disease. LRF's mission is to eradicate lymphoma and serve those touched by this disease.
The loyal pair started Team Jackie Mac in May 2008, in honor of Mrs. Nankivell, a survivor against all odds. They participated in the LRF’s Lymphomathon, non-competitive 5K Walk for a Cure. Together we raised $2000 for the cause.
This year, their friends and family expressed a deep desire to join their team to help bring awareness and raise even more money to help find a cure for Lymphoma. Most of the team members are residents of Harrison or the surrounding areas and have joined our team because the Nankivells – especially since Daniel Nankivell had been a member of the police department) – are well known in town. When they heard the news of Jackie Nankivell’s illness, everyone wanted to do anything they could to help.
“I am proud to say that to date, Team Jackie Mac is 16 team members strong, and our team is currently ranked in first place among all teams registered to walk with almost $5000 raised so far. Our team goal is to raise $10,000 before the walk date of May 3,” Dawn said.
The walk on May 3 is in Mercer County Park West Picnic Area in West Windsor with the step off time at 10 a.m.
“My Mom comes to visit my sister and me here in New Jersey for several months at a time and I believe this is what keeps her spirits up,” Dawn said. “Being around her family and her grandchildren is what gives her the strength to accept her condition and make the most of her remaining time with us. Every moment is precious with her and we treasure the time we have with her.”
If anyone is interested in making a donation or participating in the walk, go to the following Web page:
http://www.lymphomathon.org/faf/search/searchTeamPart.asp?ievent=299241&lis=1&kntae299241=463FE365624B48DD970782EC5F497F62&team=3344095.
You can make a donation directly to our team and the donation deadline is May 2.
“What impressed us most about LRF was their complete and unwavering dedication to finding a cure for Lymphoma. We believe in miracles and in the power of positive thinking and so we began our search for a foundation to be a part of that had the same beliefs,” Dawn said. “I’ve learned through this that when you put a personal face on this cause, people respond. You never know whom or when cancer, any kind of cancer, will affect you or someone, you know or love. We have had such an outpouring of support from the town of Harrison.”
