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06/30/2014 |
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18-YEAR-OLD
TESTICULAR CANCER SURVIVOR
HONORED AT NASCAR RACE
15-40 Connection
Teams with Rob Fuller Motorsports to Honor
Brian Regan at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
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Driver
Todd Szegedy won’t be the only new face on the
racetrack for Rob Fuller Motorsports at New
Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 11 and 12. Brian
Regan, an 18-year-old testicular cancer survivor and
15-40 Connection representative, will be featured on
the No. 15 entry in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour
races.
Rob Fuller Motorsports and 15-40 Connection have
teamed up to feature young cancer survivors
throughout the 2014 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour
season in an effort to raise awareness of the
obstacles teens and young adults face to diagnose
cancer at earlier stages.
Heading into his sophomore year of college, Brian
Regan, a Dunstable, Mass. native, did a self-exam
and noticed a lump.
“I wasn’t someone who typically did self-exams, but
I happened to check myself out one day in the shower
because of a PSA I heard on the radio and I actually
felt something,” said Brian. “Something that I swear
hadn’t been there before.”
He made a routine appointment for a sports physical
for the upcoming season without alarming his family
about this finding.
“I told the doctor what I had noticed,” Brian
continued. “She did a physical exam and simply told
me there was nothing there. This made me angry. I
knew there was something there and my gut was
telling me that something was wrong, so I asked what
we could do to make sure that there was definitely
nothing there. After a short conversation she sent
me down to the lab to have an ultrasound. The test
revealed that I had a tumor on my right testicle.
While scary news, I was happy I had fought for the
ultrasound because otherwise that tumor would have
gone undetected.”
Brian went on to have surgery right away to remove
the tumor and later found that it was cancerous. In
fact, it was an aggressive form of testicular cancer
that was treatable but is known for coming back once
its treated.
“My treatment was not pleasant, I ended up having 13
chemotherapy treatments in three weeks (11 of which
were given in the first 5 days) and was extremely
sick for the following weeks, but I am here and that
is largely because I advocated for myself and
trusted my instincts.”
Tricia Laursen, Executive Director at 15-40
Connection, noted that this type of story is not
uncommon among teens and young adults.
“We advocate that you know your body better than
anyone else,” said Laursen. “Young adults run into
many obstacles from doctor’s dismissal to a lack of
frame of reference to know what an early warning
sign of cancer can look or feel like. The key is to
understand the warning signs, act quickly and be an
advocate for your health. If you have encountered a
change in your body that lasts for two weeks, take
action and tell your doctor.”
Earlier this season, Rob Fuller Motorsports featured
Josh Bell, a leukemia survivor, at Daytona and Dave
McGrath, a brain cancer survivor, at Thompson
Speedway.
“I have really enjoyed the partnership with 15-40
Connection because we are working to make a
difference in people’s lives,” said Rob Fuller, team
owner. “Brian, Josh and Dave took all the right
steps in order to get an early diagnosis and it’s
important for us to share their stories with others.
I’m certainly looking forward to meeting Brian and
honoring him at the track.”
Race fans are urged to read
Brian’s full story at 15-40.org and share it
with those they care about. Race weekend updates
will be provided at the
15-40 Connection Facebook and
Rob Fuller Motorsports Facebook pages.
15-40 Connection is celebrating its fifth
anniversary and will hold its annual Mark & David
Ungerer Golf Tournament, Gala and Auction on July
13th and 14th. For more information, visit
15-40.org. |
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Source: Nealie Stufflet /
Rob Fuller Motorsports
Posted:
June 30, 2014 |
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