Daily Egyptian Reporter 49

Stephan Marsh struggles to raise a barbell above his head as his fiance spots him, assisting him as he rebuilds his body. Becky Newburn not only supports Stephan in his exercise routines, but has never left his side during his three-year battle with cancer.

Since the SIUC student was diagnosed with cancer in 1994, he and Becky have been on an emotional roller coaster, facing more medical problems than most people will see in a lifetime.

Despite the strain of dealing with Stephan’s cancer, Becky says she would not change anything about their seven-year relationship.

I don’t regret a minute of it, she says, smiling at Stephan. I could have just packed my bags and left.

I’d do it all over, for the rest of my life, if that’s what is meant to keep him here.

Stephan is approaching his second year of remission.

In October 1994, Stephan was a junior at SIUC, double majoring in photography and industrial design. He enjoyed lifting weights to stay a healthy 285 pounds. Despite working out, Stephan began getting sick more and more often, and no doctor could determine what was ailing him.

They told me I just had a cold or the flu or that I was just working too hard and was over stressed, Stephan, a native of Makanda, said. They told me not to worry about it.

During the week of Stephan’s 26th birthday, after months of trips to doctors and no definite answers, he was rushed to the emergency room with a temperature of 105 and pain in his lower abdomen and groin.

Tests were performed, revealing a cancerous tumor.

The discovery shocked Stephan.

About five doctors came into me hospital room, and they didn’t say anything to me for about 10 minutes, he said. They just kept on looking at each other. Finally they said, Mr. Marsh, you have cancer.’

I just sat there and said to myself, You have cancer.’ I called Becky and told her. She came to the hospital crying.

Stephan was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer. Stage 5 is the most severe type of cancer.

Becky, an SIUC alumna with a degree in German from Makanda, was stunned.

Not him, not somebody who takes good care of himself, she said. It’s supposed to happen to somebody who drinks or smokes or doesn’t take care of their bodies.

Stephan began taking chemotherapy in November 1994, but his reaction to the therapy was unusual. The doctors could not figure out what was wrong with him, so he was flown to St. Louis University Hospital.

When Stephan arrived at the hospital, his liver, kidneys, spleen and pancreas stopped working, and his heart began to beat erratically. The doctors diagnosed Stephan’s cancer as Hodgkin’s Lymphoma stage 4B multi-cellularity variant type, an advanced stage of cancer with a low survival rate. Stephan was at the prime age to get this type of cancer.

He was put in a medically induced coma, while various surgeries were performed to him, including open-heart surgery and a tracheotomy.

Stephan’s family could not afford the flight from Texas to be at his bedside, but Becky was there to hold his hand.

All I remember is waking up out of the coma, Stephan said. I wasn’t able to talk. I remember not being able to move and just lying there.

By March 1995, Stephan weighed 145 pounds. Another side effect of the chemotherapy was severe nerve damage that left him virtually paralyzed. He was unable to talk, move or even swallow, and he could not breathe on his own.

It was really hard emotionally not being able to walk or talk, Stephan said. I wasn’t able to do things for myself.

Stephan was sent to yet another hospital, Vencor Hospital in St. Louis, where he underwent physical therapy for five months.

I remember what it was like not being able to move in the hospital bed, Stephan said. I had to depend on everybody. It sucked.

While in rehabilitation, tests showed that Stephan still had cancer invading his liver. At the same time, Stephan was told he would never be able to walk or have children.

I saw how upset he was and how hard it was for him, and I knew I had to stay focused on him and be there for him, Becky said.

He made major improvements in breathing, arm and leg movements. The doctors then determined he was well enough to be sent to a rehabilitation hospital.

By October 1995, Stephan was undergoing chemotherapy again. Doctors tried different drugs on Stephan so he would not have the same negative reaction. The therapy lasted 24 hours a day for five days a week.

The first round of chemotherapy went smoothly. Stephan kept on working out, and he was doing limited walking on his own.

Although breathing became more and more difficult, the doctors decided he was well enough to return home.

It marked the first time in more than a year that Stephan would be able to be in his own home.

Chemotherapy stopped because Stephan’s breathing had become too difficult. His previous tracheotomy had scarred his trachea, causing it to close up on itself. A semi-permanent T-tube was placed in his trachea to keep it from closing, allowing him to breath.

Stephan returned to the hospital for tests that showed his cancer had not gone into remission. He underwent two more painful rounds of chemotherapy.

Stephan relapsed into his cancer for a total of four times.

After these last battles, Stephan’s cancer went into remission in December 1995.

Dealing with everyday life

This month marks two years of remission of Stephan’s cancer.

Stephan is in a wheelchair because of severe nerve damage. He was forced to put his education on hold until spring while he recuperates.

Even though it has been gone for almost two years, it always has a chance of coming back, Becky said. The possibilities of coming back drop drastically after a year, but there still is a chance.

Doctors told Stephan and Becky that he was one of the few survivors of his type of cancer in its advanced stages.

We were like, Why?’ Stephan said. Why have I lived this long while others have died?

Stephan and Becky try to make the most out of every day, starting off early at 4 a.m. It takes Stephan about 30 minutes to clear out the tube in his throat.

It think about cancer every day, he said. The first thing I have to do when I get up is clear my throat. That’s a reality check right there.

Then he and Becky work out from 5:30 to 7:30 a.m. at the Recreation Center.

Stephan works out his chest, shoulders, triceps and biceps. At times, he is able to push his wheelchair one lap around the track.

After Becky returns home from work, they both trek back to the Recreation Center to work out again.

But the hardest part of Stephan’s day is when he is at home alone.

There’s nothing to do, he said. There’s TV, but that gets old. Next was the Internet. Then I started reading my old text books, but even that got boring. I just hang out here all day, but I am stuck inside.

Stephan and Becky agree that the first year of his cancer treatments were the hardest.

It doesn’t bother me as much as it did a year ago, Stephan said. I’m doing better then I was before.

Stephan recalls how hard it was for him to fight the cancer.

It sucked, he said. All the friends we thought we had were gone. Becky was the only person who visited me regularly in the hospital.

Stephan’s parents, who live in Texas, were unable to come see him through the cancer because his mother was the only one working, and she could not afford the to take the time off to make the trip to Illinois.

Stephan said Becky’s positive attitude has helped him in his recovery.

She’s always been there, he said. She is always telling me that everything is going to work out fine.

Sights on the future

Stephan feels his recovery is coming along as well as he planned it to be. He set goals for the five years after following his remission. What he has accomplished so far has surpassed his two-year goal.

Right now I’d love to get up and walk. I thought that is would take about five years for me to walk again. Now it’s been two years, and I am doing really well, he says proudly.

The longer the cancer is in remission, the higher the chance of survival. After five years, Stephan will be considered cured.

Stephan has a walker to help him navigate around the house, and he can walk a short amount by himself.

Even though Stephan and Becky never set a date for their wedding, they say that being married is not important anymore.

I love Becky very much, Stephan says, glancing at his fiance. But if we get married, our insurance premium would go up too much, and we wouldn’t be able to afford it.

Although there is no immediate plan to get married, Stephan and Becky both joke with each other as to where they will have the ceremony.

She wants to get married on a pontoon boat, Stephan says, laughing. And I want to get married at a drive-thru in Las Vegas.

After being out of school for almost three years, Stephan is enrolled in the spring semester. He will finish his degree in photography in three more semesters, and then will concentrate on his degree in design.

It means a lot for me to go back and finish, he says. I want to graduate before I kick the bucket.’

As far as school goes, I’m taking it semester by semester. As for life I take it every three months for the CAT scan. I do everything I can in those three months except the week before, I just sit home and worry.

Becky says she sees the difference in his attitude in the weeks before the CAT scans that will search for possible cancer.

He’s unbearable, she says in a frustrated tone. Everything is death, doom and destruction.

Stephan is hoping to have the T-tube removed permanently after he graduates.

Stephan’s sperm counts have gone up in the last year, that will possibly allow them the have a child.

We do want to have kid however we can, Becky says.

But the couple is focusing on Stephan’s recovery. His next CAT scan is Dec. 19.

I get really nervous just thinking about it, Stephan says. This is the longest I have gone without a CAT scan. Before it was every two months, and now it is every three. It’s always on my mind.

Becky’s positive and upbeat attitude shines though when she reassures Stephan of the results of the CAT scan.

Everything is going to be just fine, Becky says with a smile.