Newswise — Dick Fate's dream was simple. He just wanted to walk his daughter Jessica down the aisle on her wedding day.
Fate, a manager at Sandia National Laboratories, is a self-proclaimed jock. Cancer was not a part of his equation, but part it did become. Diagnosed with soft tissue sarcoma about 13 years ago, Fate had undergone surgery after surgery to try to check the spread of the disease. He had the last two of ten surgeries in late 2006 at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. One surgery removed his left leg at the hip and created a stump from his tibia (lower leg) where his femur should be. The other surgery shaped the stump in preparation for a prosthesis. "I have very little muscle, no calf, no real power source," says Fate. "With the little bit of muscle I do have, I can actually move my stump back and forth a little."
Fate's type of surgery had never been performed before. "Removing the leg was the only option," he says. "The operations to save the leg became less and less effective. They were accomplishing very little. It was a fair trade ─ my leg for my life. I am lucky. I believe I have gotten rid of the cancer and have gotten my life back. I can start planning for the future. I can live a life that is as normal as my limitations allow. I am very happy. I will be able to walk and hike again.
"I will not be able to run again, but that's OK," he says. "My daughter Ashley, who was age 16 at the time, accompanied me to Houston for the surgery that ended my running. The night before surgery, I told her that I would be going for my last run at 4 a.m. before going to the hospital at 6 a.m. She said she would try to go running with me. At 4 a.m. I tapped her on the shoulder and told her I was going to go running in 10 minutes. I wasn't sure she would get up, but she did. She and I ran together. We did not run fast, but we ran together. That run was as meaningful a run as any marathon I had been in. Running with her the last time made giving up my running easier.
"My cancer is rare and very aggressive," says Fate. "Since it is rare, there is little research money available."
After his initial diagnosis and treatment, he was in remission for three to four years. He was able to bike, run in marathons, and hike. But the cancer came back.
In February, 2005 Fate competed in a quadrathlon. He was part of a four-man team who called themselves "Three Gimps and a Geek (the team was made up of Fate and two other men who had faced life-threatening illnesses and another participant who liked to participate in that type of event). "Fate's thoughts of participating were, "All I know is, I don't have a tumor today, and I get the mountain tomorrow."
With the aid of a leg brace, and ski poles for stability, Fate walked ten miles in the race, five of them uphill (an elevation gain of 1,200 feet) and five downhill averaging 17 minutes a mile. In this event, as with many of the other things Fate did on his journey through cancer, he relied heavily on the support of his family, friends, and coworkers.
Fate has three children, Jessica, 26, Rickie Jr., 24, and Ashley, 22. "Depending on their age, there were different levels of understanding my cancer, but they were always very supportive and helpful in their own way."
"Life with its many challenges is wonderful when you are surrounded by people you love," says Fate. "My coworkers and family have been very encouraging. So also were my surgeons, nurses, prosthesist and physical therapist. But most of all, my lovely wife Suzi has been my angel. She's been there with me every step of the way, always helping, always supportive. Thanks to all!"
Fate has been going to physical therapy more than three times a week to learn to use his prosthetic leg. He says it is high tech with a microprocessor-controlled knee. "It has been a challenge going three times a week but I have made real progress," he says. "I am now able to walk without a cane around the house. I use a cane only when the flooring is uneven. New exercises look pretty interesting. Who knows, I might eventually be able to participate in some sport."
Fate's dream came true. He was able to walk his daughter down the isle. "My daughter was the star," he says. "I was just the bride's proud father."
Sandia is a multiprogram laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin company, for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration. With main facilities in Albuquerque, N.M., and Livermore, Calif., Sandia has major R&D responsibilities in national security, energy and environmental technologies, and economic competitiveness.
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