By Eric Wilson-Edge
Cancer is indiscriminate; it doesn’t care about your age or gender, whether you’re married or single, a teacher or a State Supreme Court Justice. In December of 2008 Justice Mary Fairhurst found out she had colon cancer.
I meet Justice Fairhurst at her office inside the Temple of Justice. The building and its name are intimidating, Justice Fairhurst is not. She insists I call her Mary. I expect her to be stern, straight-laced and possibly wearing her judicial robe.
“I didn’t want to be sad, even though I might die. I wanted to be making good, positive memories with people,” says Fairhurst. I’m used to equating cancer with sadness, with loss and pain. There is certainly a lot of this with the disease, but not here. “Every day you stay alive is another day closer to finding a cure,” says Fairhurst.
On Friday, June 27, Mary and a few hundred others will gather at Timberline High School to participate in Relay for Life. This is the fundraiser’s twenty-fifth year in Thurston County. The event starts at 6:00 p.m. with the survivor’s lap. “This is a way for us to celebrate and honor those we know who beat cancer and those who didn’t,” says Relay Co-Chair Kaitlyn Rebbe.
Fairhurst has a long history with cancer. Her mother, grandmother, aunts and uncles all had the disease. Some made it, some didn’t. Shortly after her diagnosis, Fairhurst underwent six months of chemotherapy. Things looked good, her scans came back normal. Then, in 2011, the cancer returned and had metastasized in her lung.
The news was disappointing but Fairhurst refused to let it change her attitude. “The oncology nurses told me if ‘if you can sit up, sit up, if you can stand up, stand and if you could walk, walk. Every day I gave it the very best I had for that day.’”
Fairhurst underwent another round of chemotherapy followed by six weeks of radiation. That was more than two years ago. I ask her if she worries about the cancer coming back for a third time. She says, “I can worry about cancer and miss all these days being worried about something that may or may never happen again. I do the best I can and if that’s what ultimately takes me then I will have given a good fight.”
Rebbe is no stranger to cancer. Her mother and grandfather were both diagnosed with the disease. Her mother survived, sadly her grandfather passed away. For Rebbe, Relay for Life is a way to build relationships, to help others. “I try to tell people to stay positive and remember we are finishing the fight. We are making cancer a thing of the past.”
This kind of support helped Fairhurst. She says friends, family and colleagues offered prayers and positive thoughts. These kindnesses are not lost on Fairhurst. “When I have had others that I know, friends and colleagues, that have cancer I have been able to help them in a way that I might not have been able to if I didn’t have this experience,” she reports.
Every year more than eight million people worldwide die from cancer, but this isn’t the image to leave you with. Instead, let’s focus on the millions more who survive.
Justice Mary Fairhurst loves the Mariners and Gonzaga basketball. She’s on the board of the Thurston County Food Bank and has a large extended family. The first time I talked to her was on the phone. I could barely hear her. She apologized. Fairhurst was talking to me on her phone while driving (hands free device). The sound I heard was the wind. The day was beautiful and Fairhurst had the top down.
To learn more about Relay for Life of Thurston County, click here.
