For each PuppyUp Walk, the Event Manager and their Walk Team select both a Human Cancer Hero and a Canine Cancer Hero, to be honored during the Walk ceremonies.
These Heroes are chosen because of their exemplary attitude towards their particular type of cancer, showing bravery and hopefulness in their fight against this terrible disease.
Our Human Hero for the 2024 Walk is Lee Ann Larkan. Her photo and story are shown below.
My journey with cancer began when I was diagnosed with an aggressive form that left me with inoperable tumors. The battle that followed was intense: chemotherapy, radiation, and two brachytherapy surgeries. After completing these treatments, I underwent PET scans, hoping for good news, only to be told that the treatments appeared to have failed. My doctors informed me that, having reached my lifetime limit of radiation, there were no further options available. I was given approximately three months to live—this was in December.
Desperate for another opinion, I reached out to the Mayo Clinic, but their services were out of reach financially, even with insurance. When I couldn’t afford the additional costs, they declined to see me. My husband, a pillar of strength throughout this ordeal, refused to accept this as the end. He sprang into action, leveraging every contact he had from his years in the law enforcement community, until a UAMS oncologist agreed to review my case as a favor.
It was now January, one month into the three I had been given. During this time, my husband and I leaned on our faith, trusting in God’s plan, whatever that might be. Though I longed to live, I found peace in the belief that if this was His plan, I could accept it. My dog, Cudi, was a constant source of comfort during those long days and nights, never leaving my side. The bond we shared was something only those who have experienced a dog’s unconditional love can fully understand. Little did I know that soon, Cudi would face his own battle with cancer—a battle he would not win.
When I finally met with the oncologist at UAMS, I was prepared for anything. What I received was nothing short of a miracle. The tumor that had once been so threatening was now nothing but scar tissue. With God directing my healing, I was cancer-free—and have been ever since.
The loss of Cudi to cancer was a heartbreaking contrast to my own survival. His passing fueled my passion for supporting PuppyUp, an organization dedicated to understanding the links between canine and human cancers. My story is one of hope, faith, and the unbreakable bond between humans and their dogs. In memory of Cudi, I am committed to working with PuppyUp to advance research and push for a future where cancer is no longer a threat to any species.
