My Journalism Journey Part 28

I was fortunate to interview many people during my days in Aberdeen as a sports writer. Two of them were Marge and Gary Evjen, a wife and husband who had to deal with cancer.

The couple met at Northern State as student athletes. Gary was an All-American in basketball there in 1971, and they married in 1973. Marge was a gymnastics judge for 12 years and a P.E. teacher, while Gary was a principal at several schools.

Along the way, cancer hit them both. First, Marge was diagnosed with breast cancer. Then Gary was diagnosed with cancer. At the time I was about to interview them, I was going to be out in the area with my mom and Aunt Bernice, touring the Black Hills. So I arranged a face to face interview with the couple, who lived in Sturgis.

Gary's cancer was in remission and all scan had come back negative. After Marge had had her breasts removed, she was clear for a couple of years, and then her cancer reappeared in her spine. She surmised hormones helped the cancer grow because surgery was performed at the time of her period.

Over the years, I continued to update Marge's story. She was a tough woman and an engaging interview. Once, when the cancer returned after another remission, she said, "You don't die from cancer; you live with cancer."

The kids loved her, too. She worked as a gymnastics judge, a job that usually would not endear her to athletes. But in her last state tournament in 1993, the gymnasts all bowed to her as the tourney started. She received the South Dakota Gymnastics Coaches Association Hall of Fame Award that year as well as the National Federation of Interscholastic Officials Association Award. She also was honored as the Official of the Year from the South Dakota High School Coaches Association.

Gary and Marge knew they couldn't have their own kids, so they adopted two, Lucas and Jessica. I always remember how special Marge was, how strong and positive she always was. When I left Aberdeen, I didn't know how the story ended, so one day I had to check it out. She died Jan.2, 1998.

And then there was the young athlete struggling with substance abuse. Since I don't know how this story developed, I'll use just her first name. Jenny was a three-sport athlete, successful in volleyball, basketball and track. She managed to fool just about everyone, or so she thought. Eventually, she was told to get off the team and get help.

Getting into treatment wasn't an easy decision. She had to take that first step to getting help. Her teammates helped with an intervention.

Eventually, she returned to her team, but only after her teammates voted to allow her back on the team. She had to regain their trust.

I did a couple of stories on her, one a year after the first. She was doing OK then. I don't know if she continued to do well. I tried to follow up just now; I don't know if she was able to stay on the program. I hope she was. She was a bright, interesting young woman with a wonderful future ahead of her.

Cancer and substance abuse are two diseases that take a lot of victims. Some will say they are not the same. Cancer victims don't ask for their disease, they'll say; substance abuse users bring on their own problems. But there is often something in the chemistry of those with addictions that lead to their use. So it is also a disease.

So I remember all those for the fight they show, their perseverance, their fortitude and their humor in the battle. There were others who had similar battles, but these stuck out in my mind over the years. They showed me how to live my life to the fullest despite the blows I had to take sometimes.