MELBOURNE, Fla. — October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and a great reminder to have the yearly mammograms. Many people think that Breast Cancer only happens in women, when in fact, it also happens to men. Three runners in our community tackled Breast Cancer, are now survivors, and are encouraging others who go through a very difficult time.

Julie Hannah

Julie Hannah is the owner and designer of MaddieKay Designs and in her 5th year as Head Cross Country Track Coach at West Shore Jr/Sr. High School. She was diagnosed in January 2014 with Stage 3A, breast cancer. After 6 rounds of chemo, surgery, radiation, and 1 year of targeted immunotherapy, she is a survivor. Prior to diagnosis, she was a runner. In fact, she continued to run daily through the chemo until her fourth round, where she began to experience muscle atrophy and severe fatigue.

Looking for normalcy in life, as many going through hard times and illness, she wanted to continue to train. Self-described as strong-willed, Hannah wanted to prove to herself that cancer wasn’t going to beat her and that she would overcome it.

Cancer treatment can create many dark days for those fighting this disease, so looking for inspiration is important. Hannah says, “My inspiration to continue running was for my husband and daughters. My husband knows that I am strong but my daughters at the time were only 10 yrs. old and it was important to me to continue my regular routine to reassure them that I was going to be okay and to show them that with a positive mindset, we can do hard things.”

Running is an outlet and stress relief for runners and when Hannah had to cut back her miles during the last 2 rounds of chemo, it was mentally tough for her. However, the anticipation of getting through surgery and recovery really helped as it was something she looked forward to. In fact, she was back to building up her mileage and completing speed work 6 weeks after surgery and all while going through radiation.

Motivation in life is different for everyone especially when life throws unexpected challenges. For Hannah, it was looking back at the running log books and remembering personal times while training before her diagnosis. Her motivation was to get back to those faster times.

Hannah’s determination defied the odds. She became a stronger runner after cancer, achieving a personal record twice in a marathon distance, running a 3:15 at the Grandma’s Marathon and Boston Marathon. In addition, Hannah won the Space Coast Half Marathon less than a year after finishing her treatments and was still able to run a sub 20:00 5K. Today, Hannah runs competitively on occasion and spends most of her time coaching and running with her teams. She also enjoys spending time with her family.

Chris Gallo

Gallo is a Police Officer in Brevard County. After a diagnosis in March 2014, he had 8 infusions over 16 weeks plus radiation treatments, along with a bilateral mastectomy. Unlike Hannah and Turey, he did not routinely exercise before his diagnosis. He found running during his cancer journey and found the activity to be a time to process all that he was going through and an opportunity to clear his head. Chris strongly believes exercise helped him to ultimately beat cancer.

According to Orlando Health, 1 in 833 men is diagnosed with breast cancer and don’t know about it. Gallo explains that he is often approached for advice from both men and women. “I enjoy talking about my experience, especially during the time I was in treatment. While in treatment, I felt like I did not have anyone to talk to, and being a man with breast cancer isn’t talked about. The best advice is to find the activity that can clear your mind, allows you to process your thoughts, and stay positive because it will be hard.”

Post-cancer, Gallo has been very active outdoors including completing multiple tri sprints, half marathons, and 50k ultra-marathons. One of his goals was to run a half marathon in two hours or less and he accomplished just that on his third try at the Space Coast Half Marathon. Gallo completed the race six minutes faster than he predicted!

Gallo has also found a love for trail running and cycling, whether it is road, trail, dirt jumps, or BMX at skate parks and pump tracks. When he is not keeping the streets safe or exercising, he is a partner in organizing a local trail race series and the For the Girls scholarship fund created to help local cancer patients with PT and OT costs when they cannot afford it. Gallo is also active with Men Have Breasts Too, an organization providing support and bringing awareness to male breast cancer.

Kara Turey

Turey is a Middle School Counselor. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in October of 2017 with Stage 1 and endured six rounds of chemotherapy. Turey was an avid runner before her diagnosis and was in the middle of training for her first marathon when she learned of her diagnosis. The news was a complete shock to her and those who know her.

Turey had a bilateral mastectomy and continued to run while she received cancer treatments. The effects of chemotherapy forced her to cut back on the high mileage (she ran 16 miles two days before surgery), but she continued to run her previous daily mileage. By the 4th round of treatments, Turey was forced to minimize her running and instead find an outlet through biking, walking, and going to spin class one to two times a week until her last treatment. She believes running and all her other activities made the treatments more manageable, along with eating right when she could, and also surrounding herself with friends and her family. Turey is always smiling and continued to do so through the dark days of cancer. Just like Hannah and Gallo, she set a goal for herself that year to complete all seven races of the Running Zone Foundation Race Series, even if she had to walk some. Turey’s dedication and positive mindset earned her a 3rd place finish in her age group for the series.

Similar to Hannah and Gallo, people ask her all the time for advice. She loves helping people who are struggling and encourages them to keep moving forward, to get outside, laugh, and surround themselves with people who love them.

After cancer, Turey has run the Chicago Marathon, many half marathons with a few personal records along the way, as well as her fastest 5K to date. She continues to run all over the county where there is beautiful scenery and friends, along with spinning, and strength training. You will see Turey at the Running Zone Foundation Races as she is one of the Running Zone Ambassadors and helps the kids warm up for the races, teaches them race etiquette, and cheers them on. In addition, she runs on the New Wave Physical Therapy and Sports Rehabilitation racing team and would like to one-day help coach a Cross Country team. By the time this goes to print, she will have donated her hair to an organization that makes wigs for kids and cancer patients. She loves helping in the community and isn’t sure how she would have made it through cancer if she didn’t have running and the support system she was lucky to have throughout her journey.

All three runners don’t know where they would be today without running. They are examples of the importance of finding a sport or activity before or after a life-changing event. Running has given them a new outlook on life, a way to help their bodies heal, help others, and most importantly, they kept fighting and never gave up. The running community is an amazing one and all three are proud to be part of it in their own way. In this reminder of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, encourage your loved ones to have their mammograms and to know the signs to look for so cancer can be caught early and treated.

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