The survivor

A woman with terminal cancer considers it just ‘a bump in the road’

Paige Richmond

of the Gateway

Two days after she was diagnosed with lung cancer, Terri Hunziker decided to take charge of her life. It was four years ago when Hunziker, a former science teacher, found out she had non-small cell adenocarcinoma. She first visited a doctor because she was experiencing pain in her shoulder — a discomfort she initially thought was caused by carrying around her then-11-month-old son, Bryson. But when the pain didn’t go away, Hunziker went to her family doctor, who ordered X-rays to examine her shoulder more closely.

He found bone mets in Hunziker’s scapula — abnormal cells that mark the spread of a cancer from one organ to another.

A biopsy one month later revealed that Hunziker, a 40-year-old mother of two, had stage IV lung cancer and had, at the most, nine months to live.

That Hunziker would have cancer was surprising enough: A former science teacher in the South Kitsap School District, she was always “health conscious and lived right,” said Mike, her husband of 24 years.

The biggest shock was that Hunziker actually had cancer in her lungs: She was not a smoker and was almost never exposed to second-hand smoke.

“I was shocked,” she said. “I went home, and I remember thinking, ‘I can stay a basketcase, or I can take charge and get better.’ ”

The owner of three online businesses, Hunziker went to the first and most accessible resource she had: the Internet. She began researching her disease, discovering that 20 percent of women who are diagnosed with lung cancer have never smoked, and that the disease is also the deadliest form of cancer.

“There was a day or two of shock,” Mike said, “and then she started researching everything she could get her hands on.”

She began making appointments with naturopaths and consulting homeopathic remedies. Hunziker even called lung cancer researchers at leading hospitals, such as Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., and the Mayo Clinic, to ask about possible treatments.

She was fearless in her pursuit of information, often asking to speak directly with researching doctors — and always getting her wish.

Hunziker still exchanges e-mails with those doctors once a week, updating them on her condition and asking their advice.

“Most cancer patients wouldn’t think of doing it,” she said.

Hunziker took another step in treating her disease that other cancer patients might be afraid to try: She started two Web sites to share the research she’s accumulated.

One site, www.mybumpintheroad.com, includes a complete timeline of Hunziker’s treatments. She detailed everything from the Pulmonary function test she had on June 10, 2004, to her brain MRI one year later.

Another site, www.neversmokers.com, serves as a database for patients across the country who are dealing with the same cancer.

Hunziker hopes sharing her information and research might help other non-smoking lung cancer patients find encouragement in her story and her survival.

After all, Hunziker’s lived with stage IV lung cancer nearly four years longer than doctors predicted she would.

She partially credits her proactive approach to her disease as a reason she’s outlived all medical expectations. Hunziker is currently involved in her third clinical trial at the University of Washington medical center; it was her own research that led her to apply for that trial and the others.

“I talk to lot of people on my Web site,” she said about her new friendships with people as close as Port Orchard and as far away as Georgia who also have non-smoker’s lung cancer. “They find my Web site and are encouraged that I’ve been around so long.”

But Hunziker’s friends and family also believe that her positive attitude is crucial to her health.

“I’ve never heard one complaint or one negative word about what has happened,” said Hunziker’s cousin, Angie Cabe. “Her will to live is incredible.”

The community has rallied around the Hunzikers in the past four years. The Peninsula School District, for example, has been flexible with Mike’s schedule — he is teacher at Key Peninsula Middle School — while friends and family members have picked up their two children, Bryson, now 5, and Brae, 11, from school.

Cabe has planned a fundraiser tonight to help Hunziker pay her medical bills, and more than 120 people have indicated they will be at the event.

“(They) all express some connection to Terri,” said Cabe, who added that the people coming include families with children who attend school with her sons, close family, and friends of friends. “They are people who know her name but don’t really know her personally.”

That support has helped the Hunzikers stay positive throughout a handful of other tragedies in the past decade. Eleven years ago, just six months after Brae was born, Mike suffered third-degree burns over 50 percent of his body from a fire. He spent three months being treated at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, and another two recovering.

Hunziker’s father, Phil Radcliffe, survived near-fatal injuries in a saw mill accident in 2006.

Those kinds of situations are things the family takes in stride, Mike said. But the last eight or so months have been harder on the family, since Hunziker’s health has been declining.

Hunziker’s breathing has become more labored in the past few months, and she now needs oxygen to help her breathe.

This current clinical trial may be her last hope of prolonging her life, as she has already tried every other available approach for treatment.

Mike said this wife’s greatest focus since being diagnosed is spending as much time with her children as possible. He said he is amazed by how patient she is with the children’s wants and needs, and she never thinks of her own condition.

“She’s been completely unselfish, all the way through this,” he said.

Hunziker hopes she has been able to set a possible example for her two sons, particularly about how to overcome adversity without giving up. She also hopes her Web site and the research she’s done can help educate the public about her disease — and potentially save lives.

“I think that people have learned that lung cancer can happen to anyone” — Hunziker paused to change out her oxygen tank and catch her breath — “whether someone has smoked or not.

“There needs to be the same funding and research going to lung cancer (as other cancers).”

Hunziker’s Web sites

Terri Hunziker created two Web sites after she was diagnosed with stage IV non-small cell adenocarcinoma.

My Bump In the Road, www.mybumpintheroad.com, details Hunziker’s life and the treatments she has received.

Never Smokers With Lung Cancer, www.neversmokers.com, is a database connecting people diagnosed with lung cancer who have never smoked.

Fundraiser for the Hunzikers

Lighthouse Christian School will host a fundraiser for Terri Hunziker tonight at 6. All donations will go directly to the Hunziker family to support medical and family needs. Pizza, salad, drinks and dessert will be offered.

Donations will also be accepted by mail at P.O. Box 1160, Gig Harbor, WA, 98335.

See the Community Calendar on Page 7D for more information.

Reach Lifestyles Coordinator Paige Richmond at 853-9243 or by e-mail at paige.richmond@gateline.com.