A Cancer Survivor Finds Her Calling

Libby Mongue-Wymore of Vancouver, WA, has faced a number of obstacles that would keep many people on the couch. In middle school she was diagnosed with ankle tarsal coalition, a condition that makes running painful and excused her from participating in PE growing up. At age 20, she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. At that time, she was a busy college student. It seemed normal that she was exhausted while taking 20 credits, working part time and volunteering for 4H and Kiwanis. But she had other odd symptoms, like gurgling when she swallowed.

A battery of tests revealed that Mongue-Wymore had two tumors above her collarbone the size of golf balls. Another baseball-sized tumor was found in her chest. She underwent chemotherapy for four months along with 17 doses of radiation. She has been in remission since July 2001.

And, starting 10 years ago, she began running a race every single month. Neither physical barriers nor COVID have stopped her from continuing her race streak (now virtual) and fighting for positive change as a volunteer and advocate for cancer research.

We sat down with Mongue-Wymore over the phone to learn more about her story.

I thought I was going to die at first, but I actually enjoyed it! I’m not super fast but I keep a good, even pace. From there I decided to do a race each month. I started with the 5K, then branched out to 10K, 15K, then a half marathon. I just kept plugging along with races. Once you achieve one goal it’s like, OK, I know I can do that distance now.

Why run a race per month?

I’m personally competitive when it comes to keeping my streak going. And I’ve met so many people through racing. I’ve chatted with other cancer survivors and made friends with perfect strangers.

It’s a cool experience to do races and support other people. My friends joke that I’m a sherpa because I’ve probably gotten five friends through their first half marathon. They’ll tell me to leave them behind and I say I don’t care what your pace is, we're going to make sure you cross the finish line. That experience is very cool. Now my races are virtual, which I didn’t think I would do before, but I want to help these race companies survive. I’ve supported a bunch of local ones since the pandemic started and have continued my streak that way. I joined an online DetermiNation challenge to virtually run across America. I did 70 miles in a week in honor of my uncle, who passed away from brain cancer at age 70. It was one of the highest mileage weeks I’ve ever run. I turned 40 this year and decided I’d do 40 miles that weekend.

What would you tell someone who wants to start running but doesn’t think they can do it?

Don’t be afraid. I was afraid I would be judged, and that is not the case. People are very supportive. Nobody is judging, and in fact, people will push you along if you need support. Getting that endorphin rush after you push yourself feels so good.

How and why did you start volunteering with the American Cancer Society?

I was treated in a pediatric oncology clinic, so I spent a lot of time around little kids even though I was 20. There’s never a good cancer to get, but Hodgkin's Lymphoma has a higher cure rate than many other types of cancer. I was around all the younger kids while they went through treatment and many of them had a rougher go at it than I did. It made me want to fight back and give back. I knew that some weren’t going to make it to the end.

I had only just finished my treatment, and barely had hair on my head when I attended my first Relay for Life event at college. Relay for Life is a 24-hour team event put on through the American Cancer Society. Team members take turns going around the track for 24 hours with activities going on all throughout the day and night.

At these events they have luminarias that line the school track. Candles are placed in white bags decorated with names and photos of people who have been touched by cancer or lost to cancer. As I walked the track, reading all of these names, it truly hit me that I had just been through.

For me, a lot of the treatment was survival mode, just doing what I could to get through each day, 24 hours at a time. At that moment it hit me that one of these white bags could have been in memory of me.

[Editor’s Note: This interview was edited for clarity and brevity.]