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Jack's Progress - Kickin' It !

Tulsa World Newspaper article.

Jack Wing, 66, a fixture in the running community and the voice of the Tulsa Run, had his last chemotherapy treatment for multiple myeloma two weeks ago and is officially in remission. Being in good physical shape for his age before the cancer treatment helped him respond so quickly, doctors told him.

His wheelchair is gone, he can walk up and down stairs again, and he plans to cheer on runners at a slate of events this fall -- Race for the Cure, Tulsa Run and the Route 66 Marathon.

But first, he's going to have to get sick again.

A stem cell transplant will help decrease the chance that his cancer will return and may add precious years to his life. But the process will make him sicker than any treatment he's endured since his fall 2009 diagnosis, and it will cause his hair to fall out.

"No one's seen me without a beard in 30 years," he said. Friends plan to buy him a visor with fake hair attached to it.

He asked his doctor what would happen if he opted to forgo the stem cell transplant: Odds are that the cancer would return, in cases of multiple myeloma like his.

"If I can lose my hair and get sick for a while but get 10-15 years back of my life, I'm willing to take that gamble," he said. "I've been very fortunate to have so many people praying for me and sending me e-mails and encouragement. If you don't have a positive attitude, you're never going

to make it."

Ideally, a stem cell transplant will promote the growth of healthy, noncancerous cells, after killing the cancerous ones with strong doses of chemo.

Wing will be in the hospital at least another 20 days for the treatment. He told his doctors he wants to be better for three important deadlines: Race for the Cure on Sept. 25, Tulsa Run on Oct. 30 and the Route 66 Marathon on Nov. 21.

"The one race I don't want to miss is Tulsa Run," he said, "because it's been 31 years."

He eventually might have to have back surgery for cracks in his spine that might have been aggravated by his cancer. (Multiple myeloma is a cancer of the plasma cells, a type of blood cell found in bone marrow. It can weaken bones and cause breaks.)

"I'm going to be the bionic man," he said.

He hopes the stem cell transplant could add at least 20 years to his life. Doctors told him there's no guarantee.

"My youngest grandson is 4 and I want to see him go to college, get married and give me great-grandchildren," Wing said