MARIETTA - It was nearly six years ago when Mableton resident Carol Smart found a lump in her neck. After visiting the doctor's office and undergoing a biopsy, she was told chances were 1 in 100 that the lump was cancerous.

Unfortunately, she fell in the one percent.

When the doctor's call came at her SunTrust job to confirm it was a malignant thyroid tumor, Smart said she became panicked.

"The doctor had to keep repeating it. I thought, 'Oh, God. I'm going to die.' I had thought the lump was nothing to worry about," she said.

Diagnosed with papillary thyroid carcinoma, Smart has been clear of the cancer since 2004, though she is quick to say it's not gone.

"I don't want to jinx myself," she said. "There's no sign of it though."

Smart is one of the participants in the Relay For Life taking place Friday and Saturday at Jim Miller Park in Marietta. Relay for Life is a team event where groups of five to 100 participants ask for donations to fight cancer.

The road to recovery was long for Smart, though her type is considered a highly treatable cancer with a good survival rate. Her thyroid had to be removed and she had radioactive iodine treatments that left her quarantined in a hospital.

"You're quarantined in the hospital until your lead levels are down. You take these pills that are in this lead-lined jar. Any cancer cells remaining after the surgery will take up the iodine," Smart said. "The radiation in the iodine kills the cells. It's a miracle."

While quarantined, Smart was not allowed visitors and anything brought into the hospital room had to be destroyed.

"If you bring a magazine in, you have to throw it away. You can't touch your clothes. The TV remote and railings on the bed are wrapped in plastic. It's very weird," she said. "You can't leave the room until your radiation levels are down."

Smart walks in Relay for Life for herself and the rest of her immediate family, who have also had their battles with cancer.

Her mother, Mary Smart, was diagnosed with breast cancer - her dad, Bill, with prostate cancer and brother, Jeff, with melanoma.

"Sometimes my mom says our house was built on a toxic waste dump," she jokes.

But when it comes to the relay, Smart says the event is no laughing matter.

"The best part of the relay is that people can help raise money for cancer. Cancer touches so many people and there's nothing anyone can do but help raise money," she said.

Aside from the doctor's office or chemotherapy rooms, Smart said the relay provides an opportunity to meet other cancer patients and survivors.

"This may be their only chance to meet other survivors. Otherwise you feel like you're totally alone," she added. "Cancer is really a terrible thing to go through, but the relay allows people the chance to be a survivor instead of a patient."

More than 4,000 people have already signed up to participate in the event, said American Cancer Society Area Manager David Prophitt. Each participant is encouraged to raise $100 for the fight against cancer; however, Prophitt said the average participant in Cobb County raises $240.

Money from the event will benefit cancer research, education, advocacy and patient support services in Cobb County and across the country, he said.

The opening ceremony Friday, in which Cobb Chairman Sam Olens will speak, begins at 7 p.m. Cancer survivors will follow with the opening lap before the relay gets underway. Closing ceremonies will be at 9:30 a.m. Saturday.

"We have one person on the track at all times," Prophitt said.

Relay For Life will also have a kids walk beginning at 8 a.m. Saturday. Kids may join their families Friday night, but are also encouraged to participate in the walk Saturday. Entertainment will also be provided at the event, including a luminary ceremony Friday night, magic show, puppet factory and bounce house, he said.

Residents interested in signing up may still join in the relay by calling (770) 429-0089 or visiting the We site at cobbrelay.org. Prophitt said people are also welcome to sign up in person at the park.

"I have come far in my cancer journey," Smart said. "Over time, I have tried to let go of the fear or recurrence and make my cancer diagnosis county for something. I owe a lot of that to Relay For Life."

tmollett@mdjonline.com

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