The Oct. 15 Summit Challenge, designed to be a community builder and accessible to all, is a reflection to cancer survivor Michelle Perry, shown with yellow scarf, of the dedicated support from the team at Summit Medical during her treatment and beyond.
She is an educator … an athlete … a coach … and most importantly, a breast cancer survivor. Now, Michelle Perry is also a second-year participant in the Summit Challenge, an event designed to be a community builder and accessible to all.
The Summit Challenge will be held on Oct. 15, according to Dr. Laura Balsamini, Chief Pharmacy Officer at Summit Health and 2023 Summit Challenge Chairperson. This year’s event will feature blow-up obstacles, ropes, rings, jumping, crawling, balancing and climbing. The course can be enjoyed by racers of all physical fitness levels. Proceeds from the Summit Challenge will benefit the Summit Health Cares Foundation and the Comfort Project, which provide numerous nonmedical services to Summit Health cancer patients.
Events like the Summit Challenge are familiar turf for Perry, a seasoned athlete who coaches the Parsippany Hills track and field team. She also teaches yoga and cycling at the Lakeland Hills YMCA. As a health-conscious person who was preparing to run a triathlon at the time of her cancer diagnosis, Perry found it hard to believe that “this was happening to me.”
Proceeds from the Summit Challenge, a course that can be enjoyed by racers of all physical fitness levels. will benefit the Summit Health Cares Foundation and the Comfort Project, which provide numerous nonmedical services to Summit Health cancer patients.
“I received my cancer diagnosis on St. Patrick’s Day in 2021,” Perry recalled. “Dr. Diehl, my surgical oncologist at Summit Health, had recommended an MRI as a baseline, because I had gone through my routine mammogram and ultrasound and been recalled due to concerns about my left breast. The MRI showed that my left breast was clear, but the cancer was in my right breast.”
Perry’s surgery was successful. The cancer was still in the ducts and had not spread outside her breast when she underwent a bilateral mastectomy. The procedure completely removed the cancer without the need for chemotherapy and radiation. Perry returned to teaching and conducted a virtual class just three days after surgery.
While Perry counts herself as lucky to have had “amazing support” from her husband, friends, family, co-workers and students, she also reflected on the cancer patients who did not have a strong support network.
“I thought about what it would have been like if I didn’t have all of the support I did,” Perry commented. “That’s when I really appreciated the team at Summit Medical. They were with me all the way. My husband had to stay outside during my biopsy, but my tech hugged me all the way through the procedure. It was great to have somebody supportive there who understood what I was going through. After my surgery, I received follow-up phone calls from my medical team and I spoke to a Summit Health therapist.”
An educator, athlete and coach, Perry and her team, which is whimsically called KCABBO (Kicking Cancer’s Ass By Busting Ours), will be competing again this year.
Perry was also touched by the number of people who turned out for last year’s inaugural Summit Challenge, as well as by the number of cancer survivors who participated. She and her team, which is whimsically called KCABBO (Kicking Cancer’s Ass By Busting Ours), will be competing again this year. Perry’s team includes her husband and niece, among others. Several of Perry’s students are in the process of forming teams to compete in her honor.
“You’re never quite the same after experiencing cancer,” she said. “But I appreciate all the care I received during my recovery and all of the people who were there for me.”
Dr. Balsamini pointed out that the Summit Challenge is more than an obstacle race. She explained that everyone is invited to watch the race and enjoy a festive-like celebration that will feature music, food trucks, an activity-filled kids zone, physio-massage therapy and a vendor area.
“We hope this event will bring the entire community together to support cancer patients,” Dr. Balsamini said.
The Summit Challenge will be held on Sunday, Oct. 15 at the Mount Carmel Society, located at 56 River Road in Berkeley Heights. Individuals and teams still have time to register. For more information, visit takethesummitchallenge.com.
