Walking 70 miles to see the doctor

Napa woman sets out to raise money for cancer research

By NATALIE HOFFMAN
Register Staff Writer

In 2003, Kari Worth seemed to have it all — the wife and mother of a 1-year-old girl and 2-year-old boy was enjoying a new career as a freelance management consultant.

In April of the same year, however — just one day after her daughter’s first birthday — Worth was diagnosed with stage four melanoma after discovering a lesion on her left ear. During her 20s, she had a cancerous growth removed from the same area, but doctors now said the cancer had spread throughout her body.

“When someone says you have cancer, it’s total disbelief. It’s a pretty devastating process,” said Worth.

Responsible for most skin cancer deaths, melanoma represents approximately 3 percent of skin cancer cases, according to the American Cancer Society. In 2004, Worth was one of about 686,000 Americans living with the disease.

“I was incapacitated,” she said. “I can’t imagine what it would have been like without the support I had. (My parents) were basically superhumans.”

Today, after undergoing more than two years of chemotherapy and immunotherapy treatments and 25 trips to see her oncologist at California Pacific Medical Center, Worth’s cancer has not returned.

“The doctors said if I was clear at five years, that was a really good sign,” she said. “I feel lucky. I feel like the exception to the rule.”

In celebration of her newfound health, Worth, 41, plans to make the 70-mile trek to her oncologist’s office — traveled dozens of times during the past five years — on foot to raise funds for cancer research and spread awareness about the importance of sun protection and skin cancer prevention.

Mike Worth, her father and a resident of Baywood Park, will join her on the walk. Her husband, David Dennis, two children and close to 20 friends will meet up with the pair throughout the trip to show their support, she said. Worth’s mother, Marilynn Schuster of San Luis Obispo, will stay at Worth’s Napa home to take care of her children.

Calem Dennis, Worth’s 7-year-old son, is enthusiastic about his mother’s plans. “I want to go on the whole thing,” said Calem, who attends Northwood Elementary School with her sister.

Emilia, 5, is cautiously optimistic about the trip. “I’m afraid my mom will fall into the water when she’s crossing the (Golden Gate) bridge,” she said.

After their first day of walking, Worth and her father will stay at Sonoma’s Vineyard Inn before traveling to Ignacio, San Rafael and southern Marin County before reaching their final destination of San Francisco. While Worth said they will probably cover between 15 and 20 miles each day at the trip’s start, they plan to slow down when they reach hilly terrain.

The pair plans to arrive in San Francisco’s California Pacific Medical Center on May 5, when they will deliver Champagne to Worth’s oncologist, Dr. David Minor.

Having already invested in two identical pairs of walking shoes, Worth said she hopes to raise at least $5,000 for four nationwide melanoma research and prevention organizations: the Melanoma Research Foundation, the Melanoma International Foundation, the Shade Foundation and the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life.

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