Stephanie Grady - NUT Givin' Up

Stephanie Grady is in the fight of her life. Recently, the mother of three and half-marathoner was diagnosed with NUT midline carcinoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer that has spawned tumours along the centre of her body. The teacher at St. Lawrence Secondary School now has the disease in her hips, pelvis and leg.

PHOTO CREDIT - Facebook.com

Long Sault - February 16, 2014 - Stephanie Grady is in the fight of her life.

Recently, the mother of three and half-marathoner was diagnosed with NUT midline carcinoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer that has spawned tumours along the centre of her body. The teacher at St. Lawrence Secondary School now has the disease in her hips, pelvis and leg.

Following countless treatments and surgeries after an initial misdiagnosis of lung cancer, doctors in Ottawa offered palliative radiation to help ease the pain, declaring her condition incurable.

Grady however, is not giving up. Friends and family have united together as “Team Grady” to create the We’re NUT Givin’ Up fundraising campaign to help the 32-year-old teacher, which will involve everything from volleyball tournaments to pub night socials. The goal is to raise as much money as possible to send the Long Sault resident for experimental treatments at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts.

“Through this fundraiser we can bring Stephanie hope,” said friend Heather Lisney, a teacher at Brockville Collegiate Institute who is coordinating the fundraising drive. “Harvard is working with new treatments that are showing promise and we’re going to raise the money to help Stephanie find her cure."

“She is one of the most humble, kind and giving individuals I have ever met. She is warm, nurturing and hard-working. She is also a fighter. Team Grady is rallying together to give her hope and to support her family in this fight.”

Harvard researchers at the International NUT Midline Carcinoma Registry are using a new drug called BET Inhibitor that has been shown to shrink, and even stop, NUT midline tumour growth in human tissue. The first clinical trial began last month in various centres in the United States. Stephanie is now eligible to receive a series of drug trial treatments at the institute. Stephanie and husband Nick will be making the first trip to Boston mid-February for preliminary testing, with the first treatment date scheduled for the end of the month. Many subsequent treatments are to follow, with dates still to be determined.

A committee of teachers and other volunteers from across eastern Ontario have joined together to coordinate the fundraising campaign, which will also include mail-outs to area businesses and other benefactors across the region.