Running a half-marathon is like a stroll in the park compared to the life-altering challenges Rebecca Dufek faces on a daily basis.

Dufek, a Redmond resident and endurance athlete, will be participating in this year’s Eugene half-marathon in central Oregon Saturday, May 2, to help raise funds for a cause that hits home.

Ten years ago and just days after her 10-year high school reunion, Dufek, a Hodgkin’s Lymphoma survivor, was diagnosed with Type II Neurofibromatosis (NF2). NF2, which affects approximately 1 in 25,000 live births in both sexes and all ethnicities, is a genetic mutation that causes tumors to grow in the brain and spinal cord, affecting multiple organ systems.

Although many patients with NF2 have suffered strokes, blindness, paralysis, speech impairment and extreme muscular atrophy, Dufek considers herself fortunate that her ailments are limited to deafness as well as visual and balance dysfunctions.

“I am still doing quite well. … but recovery is pretty much constant for people with NF2,” said Dufek, 37. “There is never an end to it.”

A SHOCKING DIAGNOSIS

The moment when Dufek learned that she had NF2 was quite overwhelming for the then 27-year-old, who had just beaten lymphoma. Doctors showed Dufek and her father an MRI scan filled with tumors that lit up her brain “like a Christmas tree.”

“It was fear that I had cancer again, shock, horror, sadness, tears,” said Dufek on her initial reaction to the news. “My dad and I tried counting (the tumors) and lost track around 20.”

It also took time for Dufek to come to terms with the fact that her life would never be the same.

“When I went through cancer, I underwent the treatment and six months later it was over, and I could return to life as it was before treatment,” Dufek said. “It is never over with NF2 and continual, life-altering changes occur to which one must learn to adapt.”

She went on to describe how, after her first radiosurgery in 2004, she was unprepared for the challenges that NF2 patients face. An avid sportswoman who enjoyed scuba diving, running and hiking, Dufek found she could no longer participate in the activities she once loved so much due to her loss of balance and muscular atrophy in her arms and legs.

And even everyday tasks that she once took for granted were becoming challenging, if not impossible.

“There were times in my recoveries that I could not carry around a shopping basket, needed help with my groceries… I humbly had to tuck my tail between my legs and ask for assistance,” Dufek recalled. “It was humiliating. I could not do things independently. It did not like it and it was not me.”

REDMOND REVITALIZATION

Dufek moved to east Redmond, around the Ames Lake Road area, in spring of 2003 and credits the city with being a large part of her recovery process.

Part of her daily strengthening routine involves a three-mile run on the Sammamish River Trail, and she often runs on Redmond Ridge and brings her dogs to Marymoor Park, a favorite place that brings her physical and emotional peace.

“Seeing my dogs so happy to play there really brings joy to my heart,” Dufek said. “I could be feeling sad on a certain day and the fresh air, beauty, smiling pet owners and my dog’s excitement gives me a total emotional boost.”

However, the most vital piece to Dufek’s recovery puzzle is the Gold’s Gym in Redmond. She became a member in 2007 and frequents the gym to combat the muscular dystrophy commonly found in NF2 patients as well as a loss of balance that is caused by tumors affecting the vestibular nerves and brain stem.

“I engage in strength training three days a week to do separate muscle groups on each day, water aerobics, and exercises for stability,” said Dufek, whose lack of balance at a service station one day led to a report and lengthy questioning from a police sergeant. “In just over a year, I regained enough stability to return to scuba diving and hiking.”

And just five months after her first brain surgery in September 2007, Dufek recovered fast enough to climb the 1,311 steps of the Columbia Tower in Seattle in less than 12 minutes.

“Each day we are struggling to maintain some sense of normalcy,” she explained. “A few of us push back against the ravages of the disorder by working out and doing endurance sports. … (but) when our events are over, training does not stop.

“If I take too many days off from running or walking, then it becomes difficult to walk normally and I start to stagger around. I have to keep at it.”

OUTPOURING OF SUPPORT

What separates Dufek from other NF2 patients, besides her zeal for life, is her activity in support groups and fundraising communities both online and locally to help others afflicted with the disorder.

Dufek is also the author of her own blog, titled “The NF2 Odyssey,” that chronicles her journey towards recovery.

“I have been a member of a worldwide support group since diagnosis,” she said. “It is a great source of fellowship with other patients, information, and a safe place to share what living with NF2 is like.”

As for her goals, she hopes that her participation in Eugene this weekend will spread the word about supporting research and treatment for a disorder that affects 100,000 children across the country.

Last year, Dufek created her own hiking event as a fundraiser, the first of its kind initiated by any NF patient in the Pacific Northwest, and recently raised $5,000 online for NF research.

“It is NF awareness month and I felt there was a need for someone in the Northwest region of the country to represent us,” said Dufek on why she decided to run the marathon. “I want people to be aware of what NF2 is, for them to learn of a worthy cause in great need of support.”

Most importantly, Dufek hopes to set an example for others to reach their goals and enjoy life to the fullest in the face of adversity.

“I work hard to persevere and inspire all those who know of me. Just by following my passion, friends new and old who do not have NF2 have told me that I offer them hope and inspire them to pursue dreams they had collecting dust on a shelf,” Dufek said. “My ultimate personal aspiration is just to live life. Having an event regularly forces me to keep disciplined and keep training… setting goals and accomplishing them is very important with you live with uncertainty.”

To read Dufek’s blog, visit www.diverbeck.blogspot.com. To donate on behalf of Rebecca to NF2 research, visit www.firstgiving.com/rebeccadufek.