MSU students balance cancer diagnosis, college

As college students, the idea of cancer can seem far off, much like other diseases that don’t typically occur until later in life.

But for others, it’s a part of their daily lives.

From going through radiation therapy to sitting next to a loved one as they battle the disease, cancer impacts many people’s lives right here at MSU.

Switching gears

When Annabelle Kong was a freshman, she didn’t know her college experience would be much different than most other students’.

But after being diagnosed with brain cancer in December 2002, her college routine — and life in general — changed.

Now, the 23-year-old dietetics and nutritional science senior said she views her experience with cancer and various treatments as a positive.

“I know I’ve had it pretty lucky going through a smooth transition,” Kong said. “It’s about enjoying and appreciating life.”

Kong already received a degree in dietetics and is pursuing her food science degree in hopes of practicing oncology, something she became interested in because of her own health issues.

“Because I’m not in remission, I don’t plan too far, but I still have those hopes and dreams,” Kong said.

She described her initial diagnosis as “incidental.”

Kong went to her parents’ East Lansing home for laundry and dinner every Sunday, and during one visit her mom noticed that her eye looked different.

Upon getting an eye examination, the doctor discovered something more serious than an infection — cancer in her brain’s frontal lobe.

“I think if I didn’t find out then, who knows what would happen,” Kong said. “People say, ‘Thank your mom for that,’ and I do every day.”

Kong kept going to classes but left for a semester during her junior year after deciding to undergo brain surgery.

She said it was one of the hardest decisions she’s ever made, as it was completely up to her and not her parents or the medical staff.

“For me, it was the stress of making a life decision while being at school,” she said.

Once she returned to classes, her college life was accompanied by the harried routine of waking up at 5 a.m. to take anti-nausea pills, again at 6 a.m. for chemotherapy pills and heading to the hospital for a 7 a.m. radiation treatment.

Then it was off to her 8 a.m. class.

Other students were sympathetic when they found out Kong had cancer, but she said it’s still hard for them to grasp what it really means.

After telling friends about her morning routine, some still asked her to go out to the bars.

She laughed at the idea of taking anti-nausea and chemotherapy pills after a night of drinking.

“I definitely don’t live a normal college life,” she said. “I do go out dancing. I do everything except for the alcohol.”

Brain cancer affects motor skills, which sometimes makes Kong feel tired.

But for the most part, little gets in the way of her taking walks, playing tennis and heading to the Whiskey Barrel Saloon for a night of line dancing.

Seeking support

What made juggling cancer treatments with studying easier for Kong was finding others just like her.

While perusing Facebook.com, she found a cluster of college students who knew what she was going through.

This group is known as the Student Cancer Support Network, of which Kong is now a co-chairwoman.

The campus organization serves as a shoulder to lean on for students impacted by cancer, whether they personally have a form of the disease or someone close to them does.

Kong said being surrounded by students you can relate to makes all the difference.

“Just the fact that they understand and they know what you’re going through,” Kong said. “You can learn from each other. How do they cope? How do they deal with situations — family, friends, significant others?”

But not everyone has the same situation and experiences. Kong doesn’t have any visible signs of cancer, and her treatment varies from other students with cancer.

“Everyone’s situation is very dynamic,” Kong said. “It’s interesting how you can be so different yet connect so well.”

Kong’s co-chairman, Dan Dohr, also discovered the group via Facebook and decided to get involved.

“I started to come to meetings about one year ago,” said Dohr, a psychology junior. “I had cancer as an infant and missed most of middle school and high school because of complications. I had issues with that last year, which (the group) kind of helped with.”

Dohr said trying to relate to students without close ties to cancer can be tough.

“Just the people who haven’t had the experience, it’s kind of harder to talk about it a lot of times,” he said. “It’s helpful to be able to talk about what your experiences were. It’s kind of awkward with other college students who maybe haven’t been through the same kind of things.”

Along with sharing their experiences, the group doesn’t hesitate to share a few laughs.

While chatting during a meeting, Kong recalled one girl saying people always associated cancer with imminent death.

When anyone asked the girl if she was going to die, she would reply, “Yeah, and so are you.”

Published on Monday, October 8, 2007