By Jamie Engle
Staff Writer
Cancer has affected Mayor pro tem Eric Barna’s life. Two grandmothers, one whom he never met because of cancer, his father, an aunt, an uncle, his mother-in-law, and just recently, his 4-year-old nephew have all had cancer.
The April 24 Wylie/Sachse/Murphy Relay For Life supporting the American Cancer Society is personal for Barna.
“Cancer has been in my family since I can remember,” Barna said. “In a small twist I am not doing this as a team but doing this solo. I’ll be on the track the entire 12 hours with a goal of raising $2,500 and completing 50 miles through running, walking, crawling.”
The Relay For Life is an overnight event designed to celebrate survivorship and raise money for research and programs of the American Cancer Society.
During the event, teams of people gather to run or walk laps. Each team tries to keep one member on the track at all times during the 12-hour event.
Barna chooses to go solo, meaning he plans to stay out on the track the entire 12 hours.
“I thought that by going solo I could bring some more awareness to the Relay For Life event. For me, it was the best way to honor my seven family members who are cancer victims or cancer survivors,” he said.
In addition to doing the relay solo, Barna is putting his hair where his mouth is, so to speak.
“As an incentive to donate I have issued a challenge,” Barna said. “If I am successful in raising the full $2,500 prior to the event I will have my head shaved at the first Murphy City Council meeting in May (prior to the meeting).”
Deputy Mayor pro tem Roxanne Bogdan and Councilman Mike Daniel said they are rooting for Barna all the way.
“Eric has a heart of gold with a crazy twist,” Bogdan said. “Shaving his head for a great cause is right up his alley! I’d love to see him raise the money for the goal he’s set. I know cancer has touched so many people’s lives. If we all pitch in, together we can help to find a cure!”
“All I can say is Eric is a good man, and he has trained very hard for this event,” Daniel said. “His heart is in the right place. Oh, and I can’t wait to see him shave his head! I’m throwing $50 in myself and encouraging everyone I know to do the same. It’s for a great cause ... and $50 is a small price to pay for a bald Eric!”
Councilman John Daugherty said he also supports Barna, but he can’t help but feel a little trepidation about the head-shaving.
“Eric is always passionate about anything he does, whether it be his work on the City Council for the citizens or an event such as this Relay For Life,” Daugherty said. “He was all for City Council being in the dunking booth for the 50th Anniversary Celebration last fall, and my guess is that even if he has to crawl, he will make his 50-mile goal. I plan on being there to support him because I know that he would do the same for me.
“As for the head-shaving thing, I have told several people that I hope he gets to $2,499 at the start of the race. I hate to see a good head of hair go away intentionally, even if it is for a good cause. I will then donate $2 during the race, and Eric gets to his goal and doesn’t get his head shaved. After all, what are friends for? They help you do the things that matter and keep you from doing things that are stupid.”
A story of survival
There’s a strong element of survival in Barna’s story. His father has survived testicular cancer for 50 years. His mother-in-law has survived breast cancer for 20 years and his uncle is a 20-year survivor of colon cancer. His 4-year-old nephew has already, so far, survived with neuroblastoma, and Barna hopes to one day say his nephew has survived a decade and more.
“I want this year to be an example of perseverance for all cancer victims,” Barna said. “It’s a very emotional thing to go on when everything says you aren’t going to make it. If you keep fighting through that devastating low, things often do get better. I learn a lot about myself from these types of events at the moment I have to find the will within me to go on when my body is telling me to stop. Each one is a stair step to the next level of finding out just how far I can really go.”
Barna’s running goals include a couple of 100-mile running races and one 24-hour running event. Barna said all his events and races will have a charitable element to them. This past Sunday he finished the Big D Texas Marathon at Fair Park.
Training for 50 miles in the Relay For Life involves lots of miles.
“Actually, there are a few key weeks where you need to pile on miles. For example the second week in April includes the Big D Marathon, followed the next day with a 15-mile run, followed by a 20-mile run the third day. The following week will include a 30-mile run followed the next day by a 20-mile run,” Barna said. “Other than that, training for 50 miles isn’t much different than training for a standard 26.2-mile marathon. If you have the ability to run a standard marathon all you need is the desire to run 50 miles.”
Later this year, Barna has some long distance triathlons planned as part of Athletes For A Cure, which raises funds for fighting pancreatic cancer, a cancer that will affect one in six men. These events will have a swimming and biking element as well. In the longest triathlon, there will be a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and a 26.2-mile run performed back to back.
A cure in our lifetime
Barna said he stands with President Obama’s challenge to cure cancer in our lifetime.
“Cancer is the second leading cause of premature death in the United States, so finding better treatments and even a cure is a very worthy goal,” Barna said. “We need this hope. We need to invest our efforts in medical research to combat this disease and also in social sciences to better understand how to prevent people from being exposed to cancer risk. Cancer composes over 200 diseases so a variety of approaches to controlling cancer must be taken and there certainly won’t be a one-cure-fits-all solution. We need a sustained investment in cancer research so that projects started will have the necessary funds to be completed.”
Helping the cause
Anyone wanting to support Barna in his quest to raise funds for the American Cancer Society (or those who just want to see him get his head shaved at the first May City Council meeting) should visit http://www.erics400.com/relayforlife.html to make an online donation. For those who prefer donating by mail, there is a form to print out at the bottom of the page to mail directly to the American Cancer Society.
“Cancer is a disease that has affected most of us in one way or another. Finding a cure is of great importance, and the Relay For Life challenge is a great way to fund more research,” said Murphy Mayor Bret Baldwin. “I applaud Eric in his efforts.
Running/walking/crawling 50 miles is a daunting task, but I am confident he can do it. There will be many cheering him on, and he has trained well for the event. Our thoughts and prayers are certainly with him.”
Barna encourages people to stop by and cheer on all the participants and cancer survivors.
“I’d sure like some encouragement (and maybe a large pizza!) at about 3 a.m.!”
The Relay For Life begins at 7 p.m. April 24 at the Shaffer Stadium, 516 Hilltop Lane in Wylie (next to Burnett Junior High School) and goes through 7 a.m. April 25. For more information about the event, contact Courtney Springfield at 972-442-2256 or 972-989-8170, or by e-mail at f.springfield@gte.net.
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