Volunteer becomes survivor

By DARCIE LORENO Tribune Chronicle
WARREN — Abbie Cline thought she had mono.

A band of different colored beads the Warren teen’s collected over the past few months tells a different story. Several stand for getting poked with a needle. One is for losing her hair.

But four months after being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, the 16-year-old has cancer licked. And this weekend’s Relay For Life in downtown Warren went a little differently for the long-time volunteer, her family and fellow planners.

‘‘She is truly an inspiration to everyone,’’ said Pam Wilson, coordinator of Relay For Life. ‘‘She’s unbelievably dedicated her time, her heart and her soul to Relay For Life. Then of all things, she was diagnosed a few months ago. She was just as dedicated and as much as an inspiration as before.’’

Abbie Cline’s grandmother, aunt and several distant relatives have fought — and sometimes lost — battles with cancer. Her father, Pat, had kidney cancer when she was in third grade. Then earlier this year, she went to the doctor for night sweats and fevers. An x-ray of her lungs showed an enlarged lymph node pushing against her lung.

Abbie began treatments immediately, and has been through several rounds of chemotherapy at the Cleveland Clinic. She is in remission, but has a few more treatments to go. While she hasn’t been able to attend more than five or six days of school since, she’s kept up with her school work and her responsibilities on the youth committee.

‘‘It’s just something I’ve always done,’’ she said. ‘‘I’ve been doing it for as long as I can remember.’’

Pat Cline said the family has been involved in Relay For Life for years, raising thousands of dollars.

While it was a little hectic this year, Pat still walked the opening lap with her ‘‘chemo duck,’’ which demonstrates how chemotherapy works.

Abbie said other volunteers at Relay For Life have become like a big family. That’s helped her as she’s gone through treatments and having Hodgkin’s, she said.

‘‘It’s easy to talk to them because they know,’’ she said.

Pat Cline said Abbie has always been optimistic and positive, something that seems to come easier to her than the rest of the family, which includes his wife, Ruth, and kids Tiffany, 23, and Noah, 9.

‘‘She’s seen people get through it and people who haven’t,’’ he said. ‘‘I think she handles it better than we do some days.’’

Her friends and siblings have gone with her to treatments. And humor is essential, she said.

‘‘I make fun of myself a lot. There’s always somebody out there who has it worse than me, so I don’t feel sorry for myself.’’

Last week, she was busy planning for Relay For Life between chemotherapy treatments. She also has been involved with the Make A Wish Foundation and Locks of Love, in which people donate their hair for wigs.

Wilson said she’s an inspiration.

‘‘She just keeps going and does not want anything but for everyone to be positive,’’ said Wilson. ‘‘She has the most positive spirit I’ve ever seen. I think her positive attitude has helped her get through her sickness and has made it into many positive things as far as her work on the youth committee and touching other young people.’’



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