Local
Phenomenal cancer fighter
By Bill Tremblay
Friday, March 23, 2007

Being diagnosed with indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma isn‘t slowing down Joanne Clarke. Instead, she is picking up the pace.
Clarke, who is in her late 50s, is training for the Vancouver Half-Marathon on May 6.
Indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma is a type of blood cancer that does not respond to chemotherapy or radiation treatments and is considered incurable.
This year, 14,000 Canadians will be diagnosed with blood cancer and 6,675 will die from it.
After being diagnosed in November 2005, Clarke asked her doctor if running would be too much stress for her body.
“He replied ‘no. Go run a marathon if you want.‘ So that‘s what I‘m going to do,” Clarke said.
The marathon is also a fundraising opportunity for Clarke. She is hoping to raise $2,600 toward cancer research. So far, she has been able to raise more than $1,000 and will be seeking donations at Orchard Park mall March 31 and April 1.
I‘m sort of running for my life, to find a cure for this slow-growing kind of cancer,” Clarke said.
Since she has started training, her physical and mental conditions have improved and her immune system has improved.
“I‘ve been able to run out my feelings of anger, shock, depression, self pity, you name it,” she said.
Clarke began running in 2003. Within a year, she was teaching classes at The Running Room. She entered the Vancouver Half-Marathon in 2006, but walked most of the way.
“I just run for the fun of it,” she said.
In preparation for the half-marathon, Clarke has been training three to four times per week. She expects to finish the half-marathon in three hours.
“She is phenomenal. No matter what, she is sticking to her program,” Joanne‘s husband, Don Clarke, said. “She‘s a fighter. I‘m very proud of her.”
Through her instructing and training, Clarke has become somewhat of a celebrity among local joggers. While training, she will often be stopped by other runners who want to talk to her.
“Sometimes the conversations are marathons themselves,” Don Clarke said. “She is an inspiration to a lot of people. They know who she is and what she is running for.”
After the half-marathon in Vancouver, Clarke will begin training for a full marathon at Walt Disney World, held in January. 
“I knew from Day 1, I was going to run a marathon,” Clarke said. “I‘m not going to quit until I do.”