CHENANGO COUNTY – “Whether it is reminiscing about the time she sprayed me with Windex or laughed so hard she spit her milk on my egg roll – and I nearly cried –, Becky and I were fortunate to have each other growing up. But almost more important than that, she has always been someone I have looked up to. This past year is no exception,” said Debbie Bigelow, sister of Rebecca Sands.

Sands was diagnosed with Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma on May 14, 2015.

On Saturday, Aug. 1, 2015 the community is rallying together to support Sands by embarking on Rebecca’s Virtual Run.

The run, organized by Ann Coe, is for anyone who would like to provide Sands with encouragement and support throughout her time of need. Sands, Executive Director of The Place in Norwich will be out of work for an extended period of time.

Prior to Sands’ diagnosis, she was scheduled for surgery to remove a polyp from her maxillary sinus that had been discovered in December 2014 when she went to an ENT for sinus troubles. As many polyps tend to be benign, there was not urgency placed on the surgery to remove it, and it scheduled for May 4, 2015.

In April, just a month before her scheduled surgery, Sands developed a lump on the roof of her mouth and her gums became sore. The dentist gave her a clean bill of health on her teeth and prescribed an antibiotic in case she had an infection. Sands then met with the ENT who conducted an MRI and learned that the mass had grown much larger in size.

Sands then saw a specialist that following week who suspected the tumor was likely cancerous. That doctor then performed a biopsy and removed part of the tumor.

A pathologist then determined that the tumor was Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma.

Sands met then with a head and neck specialist at Strong Hospital in Rochester. A PET scan confirmed that the cancer was localized to the sinus area.

The cancer was classified as stage IV, based on the location and the size, yet doctors have been optimistic about Sands’ outcome.

Sands had surgery on June 17, 2015 in Rochester.