Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Survivor crusading against cancer

WEEKEND EDITION: Sept. 27, 2003

Two years ago, Jessica Langgin was 6 1/2 months pregnant with her second daughter, Rachel, when doctors told her she had Hodgkin's lymphoma, a potentially deadly blood-related cancer.

"I was stunned because up until age 25, I was healthy -- I was the only girl in my Little League in upstate New York and I also was into gymnastics." the 32-year-old Las Vegas resident of 11 years said.

"I did not know what lymphoma was. But, with a tumor the size of a large loaf of bread in my chest, I knew I was in it for the long haul."

Her victory over cancer -- and the tribulations she went through to achieve that triumph -- inspired the 5-foot tall Langgin to help others in their fights against blood-related diseases. Those diseases afflict more than 600,000 Americans and kill more than 60,000 annually.

Last year Langgin was part of a team that raised $7,000 of a local record $46,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Light the Night Walk. On Oct. 4, Langgin's fifth anniversary of her marriage to Metro Police Sgt. Mel Langgin, she and her husband again will walk in the fifth annual local charity event.

"My story consists of many heroes," Langgin said. "Friends and strangers worked together for my family. They raised money and baby-sat my children -- and me -- in shifts, allowing my husband to work. They delivered dinners. I could never praise them enough.

"My lesson in life is to pay it forward or pass it on. This is my chance."

Deann Cline, campaign director for the Light the Night Walk, the chief fundraiser of the Las Vegas chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, said more dedicated people are needed to spread the word about the deadly diseases.

"Every five minutes someone in America is diagnosed with a blood-related cancer and every nine minutes someone dies of leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma," said Cline, whose father died of myeloma and whose 20-year-old daughter is a survivor of "the No. 1 cause of disease-related death among children under age 15 in the United States" -- leukemia.

"Early diagnosis is important and, of course, we need to raise as much money as we can to further the research to continue to improve survival rates that since 1960 have been on the rise for every blood-related cancer," Cline said.

To that end, the local society chapter is holding two Light the Night walks this year: Oct. 4 on Water Street in Henderson and Oct. 11 at Wayne Bunker Park at Tenaya Way and Alexander Road in Las Vegas. Festivities at both sites begin at 4 p.m., followed by the walks at 7 p.m. The sponsored participants carry illuminated balloons over the two- to three-mile courses.

For Langgin, last year's walk was difficult as she still has trouble breathing from the remnants of the disease and the toxicity of the treatments. But it was a walk she completed with pride and a sense of accomplishment.

"It was symbolic of my survival," she said. "My two-year battle was intense but I am a survivor in remission."

Two years ago, Langgin put off her life-saving treatment until the birth of Rachel, who, fortunately for Jessica, was a month and a half premature, enabling her to begin the treatments. Despite being only 3 pounds, 4 ounces at birth, Rachel today is healthy and cancer-free.

But the cure for Jessica at times seemed worse than the disease, Langgin said.

The cancer knocked her weight down from her normal 112 pounds at Rachel's conception to 103 pounds at her baby's birth. Steroid treatments that followed radiation caused her to balloon up 35 pounds.

Two lengthy chemotherapy treatments before and after radiation twice cost Langgin her brown hair and further sapped her strength. She also temporarily got addicted to morphine that was used to fight her pain.

"I hurt everywhere, including the touch of my skin," Langgin recalled. "I don't know if I could go through it (treatments) again, knowing what I know now. But my kids have been the driving force for me to survive."

Mel Langgin, 37, said that as a police officer he was trained to remain calm in situations of great stress -- a key to his successful lead role in raising 4-year-old Jacynta and 2-year-old Rachel while his wife was in recovery.

"I knew what I had to do and just did it," he said, noting that the frightening diagnosis was better than the months of uncertainty leading up to it because it eliminated the unknown and gave he and his wife answers to prepare for the fight. Still, there were hurdles they could not have foreseen.

"Watching what my wife was going through did affect our relationship," he said. "I love her and wanted to stand by her, but she was not the same healthy, beautiful woman I had married. At times, she was not sexually attractive to me. It landed us in marriage counseling."

Jessica, who has talked to many cancer victims, said the concerns expressed by her mate are not uncommon among spouses dealing with such diseases.

"It comes down to a self-esteem thing," she said. "With all of what I was going through, I felt bad for Mel. I was apologizing for how I looked and for coughing so much. I felt bad I could not be the wife and mom I wanted to be."

The chemotherapy eventually reduced Langgin's tumor to the size of a golf ball. It is inactive, but it also is inoperable because it is too close to vital organs to risk removal. And her facial swelling from the steroids has subsided, restoring many of Langgin's attractive features.

Still, Langgin's lung capacity remains below normal because of internal scar tissue. She has other lingering problems from the disease and treatments. For one, the ordeal has rendered her unable to have more children.

But Langgin is moving forward with her life. In addition to raising her girls, she is attending the Community College of Southern Nevada with plans to obtain a degree in pharmacy.

She also raises money for the fight against blood-related cancers through efforts including Light the Night and the recycling of printer cartridges.

"I used to collect cartridges for my spending money, but now I go around to about 200 businesses and collect them to help other cancer patients," she said. "I get 50 cents to $4 per cartridge from a company that recycles them."

Half of her proceeds go to help the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society while the other half go directly to help the family of Metro Sgt. Rich Scobie and his wife Christine, whose 10-month-old daughter Jennifer has leukemia.

"As a mother I can tell you I'd rather it be me who has cancer than my children," Langgin said. "I feel for what the Scobies are going through."

Each year since it began in 1999, the Light the Night Walk has raised more money than the year before. In 1999, the walk raised $4,000 with 40 walkers. In 2000, 130 walkers raised $8,000 and in 2001, 232 walkers collected $19,000.

Cline said conducting two walks on opposite sides of the valley last year doubled the participants and proceeds. This year, the goal is to raise $100,000, she said, noting that the walk nationally raised more than $13 million last year.

Since the national organization was founded in 1947, it has invested more than $280 million in research including $37.6 million last year, Cline said.

Without that money, the recent breakthroughs -- especially in treating child blood cancer victims -- would not have been possible, medical experts say.

"Since 1960 we have gone from a virtual zero survival rate for children to more than 80 percent for leukemia and more than 90 percent for Hodgkin's," said Dr. Jonathan Bernstein, an oncologist and director of the Children's Center for Cancer and Blood Disease of Las Vegas.

"We have anti-nausea agents that help prevent vomiting after chemotherapy. We have new agents for radiation therapy that prevents toxicity of normal cells while affecting tumor cells. And then there are the benefits of stem cell research that not only will help us treat patients but maybe one day find what causes a number of these diseases."

While there are some links to possible causes, there are no known causes for myeloma and some other forms of blood-related cancers, Bernstein said.

One recently developed drug, Gliveec, has helped extend the quality of life for sufferers of chronic myelogenous leukemia, one of the four major types of leukemia, Bernstein said. The drug prevents cancerous cells from dividing.

"Gliveec is an example of a breakthrough that came about because of money raised privately for research," Bernstein said, noting it almost was shelved after federal funding gave out.

"The drug won't cure you, but it could give you five to 10 years of quality life without needing a transplant or undergoing high toxic chemotherapy."

Langgin said that in the last two years she has come to know a number of cancer victims -- children and adults -- and has seen some of them die. There is a long way to go in the fight, she said.

"My experiences have taught me that you have to live one day at a time and that every day is a gift," Langgin said. "And you use your experience, strength and hope to help others."

To sign up for the Light the Night walks, go online at lightthenight.org or call the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society at (702) 436-4220.

To help sponsor Jessica Langgin for this year's Light the Night Walk or donate to her printer ink cartridge drive, call (702) 480-2775.

Donations to the Jennifer Scobie Fund can be made at Wells Fargo Bank. The account number is 8173137509.

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