Mayfield Heights Man Outruns Cancer

Mike Shaughnessy was a runner long before he was diagnosed with throat cancer.

He had run 5-kilometer races, marathons and even 100-mile ultramarathons.

It was what he did. It was part of who he was.

So he wasn't going to let throat cancer stop him from doing it.

The diagnosis

Shaughnessy, 46, who lives in Mayfield Heights, was diagnosed with cancer in September.

"I had a sore throat that wouldn't go away so I went to the doctor," he said.

Shaughnessy, like many people, associated throat cancer with smoking and drinking; so he was stunned when he learned he had it.

After all, he never smoked, only drank socially and kept himself in shape.

"I was floored," he said. "I thought it wasn't supposed to happen to people like me."

But Shaughnessy quickly realized that cancer knows no demographics. While some behavior may put you at higher risk for contracting cancer, nothing -- not working out or abstaining from carcinogens -- can guarantee that you won't get it.

The treatment

Though "fortunate" is a qualified term when used discussing cancer, Shaughnessy was fortunate in some ways.

Though the cancer had spread to his lymph nodes, he did not require surgery.

However, he did need treatment. In November and December, he received seven weeks of radiation and chemotherapy at the Cleveland Clinic.

"The care I received from my team, it was beyond my expectations," Shaughnessy said "Just as important was how well they treated my wife."

Even while being radiated and treated with chemicals, Shaughnessy did not stop running.

"Three weeks into the treatment, I ran a 50-K," he said.

Shaughnessy ran the ultramarathon with his wife, Beth. He had initially intended to just run the first few kilometers with her, but once he started running he didn't want to stop.

"We had friends and family cheering us on and it was hard to stop with all those people there," he said.

It took him two hours longer than usual but Shaughnessy finished the race.

He continued running throughout the treatment. He said it helped him feel normal and in control.

"It wasn't going to beat me," he said. "I knew if I could keep running, I could beat it."

The advice

Shaughnessy found out his cancer was in remission last Monday.

"I felt good," he said of that day. "I knew it was gone. I didn't have the proof but I felt it."

He and his wife are going to celebrate by running the 25-kilometer Fools Trail Run on April 7 in Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

When asked what advice he would give to someone who was just diagnosed with cancer, he said, "The best advice is to try to keep your normal life as much as you can. Don't let the cancer and treatment change your life."