The 2019 Champion Awards were presented at the 4th Annual Step Up for Stefanie’s Champions Walk/Run in June.
The ones who steadfastly stand beside us, and inspire us to strength.
The ones who will not retreat from fear, and inspire us to courage.
The ones who sacrifice all for us, and inspire us to love.
The ones who will not let go, and inspire us to hold on.
These are Stefanie's Champions.
Meet Our 2019 Champions
Patricia Carter
Nominated by her daughter Ericka Boddie
When Ericka Boddie was 10 years old, her mother Patricia Carter was diagnosed with uterine cancer.
“I can vividly remember wondering if my mother would die. I saw the power and strength my mother possessed, because despite being ill, she always took the time to ensure I had all that I needed,” she says.
“Fast forward to August 2017. I was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer. I knew if my mom could survive cancer, so could I.”
Facing an invasive ductal carcinoma that had spread to her lymph nodes, Ericka required an aggressive treatment regimen of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
Patricia moved in with her daughter to help with her post-surgery recovery. She changed her dressings, emptied her drains, cooked, did the laundry, washed her hair, prayed for her and provided constant love and emotional support.
When Ericka started chemotherapy a couple of months later, she recalls, “My mother was thinking and planning for me even when it was too difficult for me. I was the most worried about hair loss, because I would have to acknowledge I had cancer.
When I saw that I had a bald spot on my temple, I called my mother.” Unbeknownst to Ericka, her mother had already purchased a wig for her.
Her chemotherapy was followed by six weeks of radiation therapy, after which Ericka was excited to ring the bell and tell her cancer “goodbye.” “I remember walking out to the lobby, after having cried the entire last round of radiation, to find a sea of familiar faces smiling and clapping, pink balloons and signs with well wishes from home. My mother had been thinking of a way to make the end of my cancer journey positive and memorable.”
Ericka continued to rely on her mother’s strength.
At her one-year follow-up appointment at the Stefanie Spielman Comprehensive Breast Center, Ericka was diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), which would require a mastectomy, reconstruction and lymph bypass.
Her surgery lasted 10 hours, and the first face to greet her afterward was her mother’s. When Ericka later faced complications from her surgery, including a dying breast from necrosis, Patricia once again moved in to assist with her care.
In the span of 494 days, Patricia accompanied Ericka to 93 appointments and treatments. “As I began to calculate it, I was overcome with emotion to know my mother did not miss a single appointment,” Ericka says. “She made this journey both bearable and humbling. My mother is a champion because she stood by me during my two cancer journeys — all with grace, humility and love.”
Lachandra Baker
Nominated by her husband, Brian Baker
Brian Baker and his wife Lachandra sat in an examination room in late December 2015. After experiencing what he thought to be a minor injury from a basketball game a few months prior, Brian suspected his debilitating back pain might be something more serious.
He was diagnosed with follicular stage 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a slow-growing, incurable blood cancer.
Brian recalls the ride home, his feeling of panic and his countless questions. Lachandra calmly reassured him, “It’s going to be all right. We will get through this together. We will beat this.”
Those were words that Brian needed to hear — a reminder that he was not alone.
In early 2016, Brian began chemotherapy, and Lachandra was at every appointment. She spent hours by his side as he received treatments, working diligently on her laptop while attending to his every need. After months of treatment, Brian was in remission.
When he discovered a lump in his neck several months later and was diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma — a more aggressive but more treatable cancer — Lachandra once again remained calm and reassuring.
“It was because of her encouragement that I found a renewed energy to face this cancer head-on and fight,” Brian says.
He received a stem cell transplant at the OSUCCC – James. During his four-week hospital stay, he was concerned about Lachandra having to juggle being a full-time mother to their active teenage daughter, a full-time professional communicator, an entrepreneur, a community volunteer and now a caregiver.
With unwavering love and support from his wife, Brian found himself in remission once again.
Lachandra and Brian took advantage of his remission, traveling to places Brian had never been. He began pursuing a second academic degree and signed up for Pelotonia 2018 as a first-time rider. Lachandra had ridden the prior year to honor him, and that inspired Brian to ride as well.
Shortly thereafter, cancer was diagnosed in three locations in his abdomen, and he was recommended for CAR-T cell immunotherapy, a newer type of treatment.
“With my wife’s backing, I wanted to ride in my first Pelotonia before I went in for treatment — then it was time to get back to the unenviable task of fighting cancer,” he recalls. “As the days went by, I felt the aches of my cancer intensifying."
His treatment was still another week away, but Lachandra insisted on taking him to the emergency room.
“My wife’s concern for me that crisp November day may have just saved my life,” he says.
Brian was diagnosed with two blood clots, one in each lung, accelerating his care and extending his hospital stay. For the next 34 days, he endured blood clots and neurotoxicity.
Lachandra stayed with him day and night for the first three weeks, even though he urged her to stay home to take care of herself. She was recovering from her own surgery but wouldn’t leave his side.
Brian’s admiration for his wife grew stronger.
“Since my diagnosis, we have re-evaluated everything in our lives,” says Brian, who is in partial remission after the CAR-T cell treatment. “We have decided to focus more on others than ourselves. We have decided that things do not matter as much as experiences. One thing I know for sure is I could not have made it this far without the love of my life — my wife."
James Johnson
Nominated by his wife, Carla Johnson
When Carla Johnson of Pataskala, Ohio, was diagnosed with breast cancer, she found her champion in her husband James.
The Johnsons were trying to grasp the reality of Carla’s diagnosis and discuss treatment options with her doctors at the OSUCCC – James when Carla’s father was hospitalized and almost died. The hospital recommended placing her father in a nursing home while he recovered, but she and James worried that her father’s advanced dementia would worsen.
“James didn’t hesitate to offer to care for him in our home. He not only had me and our 8-year-old daughter to care for, but he also became the sole caregiver for my father,” she says. “He knew the impact but didn’t think twice.”
James works in a very small but busy auto body shop with only two employees — himself and the owner. Thanks to his gracious boss, James was able to attend every one of Carla’s appointments.
When it was time for Carla’s surgery, he took off a week, which ended up being critical for her recovery. Carla had always been sensitive to medication, and with her surgery she became extremely ill every time she took a pill or had medication by IV. “Without hesitation, James held my hair while I threw up in the hospital, on the way home or throughout the night,” she says.
He continually reassured her. When Carla first saw her breast in the shower after surgery she became distraught. James jumped in the shower and held her while she cried. He sat with her at every chemotherapy treatment, holding her hand and reassuring her that she was his beautiful bride. “He was just as scared as I was throughout my journey, but he never once showed it,” she says.
James helped Carla cut her hair when it began to fall out. He helped shop for a wig. No matter how busy he was, he made Carla a priority. “This man went with very little sleep for weeks,” she says.
“When he mowed the lawn, he would take two to three laps, stop the mower and come inside to check on me. He would do this for hours until he was done mowing,” she recounts. “I always knew what a good man he was. He is my champion. He has taken on so much and never looked back.”
John Snoad
Nominated by his wife, Sherri Snoad
Sherri Snoad was training for the Cap City Half Marathon in February 2016 when she developed a persistent cough. After failed treatments for bronchitis and pneumonia, a chest X-ray and subsequent CT scan revealed an abnormal lung nodule.
Much to Sherri’s relief, an initial biopsy showed what looked like histoplasmosis — a fungal infection. Follow-up testing a month later, however, revealed more lung nodules.
Sherri was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Her plans quickly changed from embarking on a family trip to Europe to beginning inpatient five-day chemotherapy treatments at the OSUCCC – James.
“This time of my life was a blur of emotions, struggles and pain,” she says. “My husband, John, traveled to every appointment with me, spent hours researching my disease, retained information when I was too numb to comprehend, became my voice of reason through all the doubt and was my strongest advocate.”
Over the course of her illness, Sherri spent almost four months in the hospital. John went to his job as a high school history teacher and football coach when she was not facing complications or chemotherapy. He returned every night with a smile on his face, often bringing small surprises to cheer her up.
“When I woke up scared in the middle of the night, I could look at him and know I was safe,” she says.
When Sherri was discharged, he took on even more of her care. “He took extensive notes from the dietitians at The James to provide me with the healthiest meals possible that I was able to tolerate. He learned new cooking methods to keep foods from cross-contaminating and continuously disinfected our home,” she recalls.
Despite John's efforts, Sherri faced more complications, including surgery to remove her spleen and emergency surgery that left her with the need for a colostomy bag.
“It was temporary, but it was a blow I had trouble dealing with. John, being my rock, took care of everything and helped me find humor in the situation,” she says.
More complications followed Sherri’s fifth round of chemotherapy, and she was hospitalized for three weeks with high fevers and dangerously low blood pressure. She had to depend on a walker and gait belt to get around.
“John became my coach. He coaxed me to walk a little farther each day and take back control of my life,” she says. Walking soon turned into jogging, driveways into blocks and blocks into miles.
As motivation for her recovery, the couple trained for a Savage Mudder Race. John stayed by Sherri’s side the entire race, and they crossed the finish line hand-in-hand.
“That day, I accomplished more than finishing a running race. I felt like I finished the race against cancer,” says Sherri, who is cancer-free today.
“Cancer did not sneak in and out of my life unnoticed,” she says. “The fear of relapse is always in the back of my mind, but John is the cheerleader in my corner that keeps my spirits up and my fight strong.”
You can nominate your Champion today at SpielmanFund.com.