Facing the big C: Faith, friendship help

By Mary Owen

Oct. 4, 2004 is a day Ron Etzel will always remember. It’s the day that kicked off the Sublimity man’s battle with cancer.

“I had terrible stomach pains during the night, but went to work the next morning,” Etzel said. “While at work, I became terribly ill, and was ambulanced to Santiam Memorial Hospital. He went through two major surgeries in the following 10 days, having been diagnosed with a gastrointestinal stromal tumor or GIST.

“The surgeon removed a 4-pound, 6-inch diameter tumor that had been attached to the back outside wall of my stomach,” he said. “He also removed 20 percent of my stomach as well as my spleen. Then I was given the news I had cancer.”

The good news was Etzel was a candidate for a therapy he said only worked on his type of cancer and one other – a medicine called GLEEVEC.

“Even though there was a full page of side effects that I could encounter, I had a relatively easy time,” said Etzel, who was treated by Dr. William Pierce of Salem. “However, I did develop a staff infection during the course of treatment, and actually almost died from that.”

At his fifth year anniversary appointment with Dr. Pierce, Etzel was given the news that he was cancer free.

“He used the word cured,” he said, emphasizing “cured.” “It has now been over six years, and I feel healthier than I did 10 years ago.”  Etzel said he is more physically fit than he was back then.

“I had been cycling for several years prior to the cancer, but just nine months after my diagnosis, I accomplished my first century bicycle ride, covering 100 miles in a day,” he said.

With Etzel’s recovery, there was an element of belief and faith in a higher power that made an incredible difference in how he overcame his cancer.

“I firmly believe that my faith and belief in Jesus Christ made a difference in the outcome I had,” he said. “I look at where I am now in my life, and know that I was afflicted with cancer so that I could be made into a better person, and become an example to others who also struggle with the disease.”

GIST has once of the highest rates of recurrence of all cancers. With the support of his wife, Anne, daughter Katie, son Mike, parents, brothers and sisters, Etzel decided to retire from his mechanic’s job at NORPAC Foods in Stayton.

“If I was going to be a short-timer on this earth, I would spend what time I had left doing what I enjoyed,” Etzel said.

After getting his strength back, Etzel stepped up to serve as the logistics director for the Stayton Area Relay for Life event, a job he still does today.

“It has been a wonderful opportunity for me to provide a service to my community, and through it, I have had opportunities that can’t be measured,” he said. “The people I have met along the way – survivors, caregivers, and other members of the Relay communities, both near and far – have been such an inspiration. And the fun we have putting it all together makes it all worthwhile.”

It’s such a huge job that last year Etzel recruited Oregon Army National Guard members to help set up the tents, tables, chairs, lighting and other details related to the event.

“They also helped take it all down,” he said. “I can’t thank them enough, and they’re coming back again for this year’s event. I also have to mention the countless individuals and members of our business communities who each year offer goods and services, and step up to the plate each and every time they’re asked.”

Etzel said the friendships he has made, not only through the relay, but through his cancer ordeal, have been incredible. He said while he is finally ready to pass the logistics torch, he will always be involved.

“I will look forward to it each summer!” he said.