by Bill O'Boyle
Wilkes-Barre Times Leader

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Jessica Ras of Kingston was feeling tired and weak in November 2008 during her freshman year at East Stroudsburg University.

The 18-year-old felt a lump under her chin and sores in her mouth, a discovery that would change her life's direction.

She had cancer.

Her plans to pitch for the ESU Warriors softball team were derailed. A health and physical education major, her goal to teach and coach at a public school seemed unreachable.

After many medical procedures – including two hip replacements – chemotherapy, numerous medications and a healthy dose of pure faith, she finally got back on the mound this spring and pitched her first game for ESU on April 20.

The Warriors lost, but anyone who knows Ras and what she has gone through over the last three and a half years knows the game was not a defeat, but a victory of major proportions.

Determined, competitive

As she entered college, Ras was a confident 18-year-old with an electric smile and determination. That was until she and her roommate, Jessica Van Orden of Luzerne, decided to go to the emergency room to get Ras checked out.

From that point on, Jessica Ras' life and the lives of her parents, Dave and Donna, took a path they never envisioned.

Within days, Ras was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. She was told “it comes on quick and spreads fast.” What followed were painful bone marrow aspirations, chemotherapy, steroids and rehabilitation.“I didn't even know what leukemia was,” she said. “I remember asking 'are you kidding me?' ”

For Ras the pitcher, this was a whole new ballgame.

“Basically, her childhood was over,” said Dr. David Greenwald, Ras' oncologist. “She was now in the real world. She had to grow up immediately and what she was about to go through was going to be very difficult.”

And it was.

Ras, who will turn 22 on Mother's Day, said the chemotherapy caused her urine to turn bright red. She lost 40 pounds, dropping from 139 to 99. And her hair fell out.

Besides all that, she dealt with pain and sluggishness.

“All I could think was 'God I hope I die,' ” she said as tears rolled down her face.

She went so far as to prepare her funeral arrangements – what she was to wear, where she wanted to be buried and other details, like the music to be played. She put them in an envelope, sealed it and gave it to her father. He never opened it.

Greenwald said he has become fond of Ras and her parents and has seen that brash teenager mature tremendously since the initial diagnosis.

“She was dealt a terrible hand and she was angry – even belligerent at times,” Greenwald said. “This was her life. The diagnosis conflicted with her plans. In the beginning, she was a challenge for everybody.”

Greenwald said the treatment Ras went through was “incredibly harsh.” After the initial shock wore off, she accepted her disease and the need to undergo the treatment.

“Basically, she had to win,” Greenwald said. “She was used to winning and she used her competitiveness to her advantage. And in addition to that, she accepted having to put her life on hold.”
Status: In remission now

Greenwald said Ras is in remission now, but not out of the woods. She goes for frequent blood tests to monitor her condition and she looks forward to that five-year period post-treatment that will mean she is basically cured – that she has defeated her most difficult opponent.

But the steroids used in her chemotherapy destroyed her hips, and she had to have a double-hip replacement in May 2011.

Prior to her surgery, Ras got around on two broken hips while taking chemotherapy.

“Saving your life is more important than your hips,” her mother said. “She had to finish the chemo before she could have the hip surgery.”

Heading into surgery, Ras had another goal – to be able to run and play softball and be pain-free.

“I wasn't able to run for 2 1/2 years,” she said. “It hurt to do anything – sleep, walk, stand.”

But she kept up her studies, taking classes at Luzerne County Community College before returning to ESU in January, 2010. She has one more year at ESU and six months of student teaching to complete her degree – and she is determined to do that.
Inspiration from Bible

During chemotherapy, Ras wrote Bible sayings on a yellow softball and slept with it every night. She stuck notes on a wall in her bedroom with inspirational quotes written on them.

She's a Yankees fan and a Steelers fan. She adores NBA star Blake Griffin and San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum. Everything in her room – items she has collected or that were given to her – has a story behind it – an inspirational story.

She kept a log during her battle and she hopes to write a book someday.

There's another room filled with awards, certificates and citations for her athletic prowess. A picture shows her “Tebowing” long before Tim Tebow came on the national scene. Prayer is something that Ras has practiced her entire life. Another prized possession is an autographed softball from Jennie Finch, a U.S. Olympic star pitcher.

Her father built a ramp on the back of the Ras home to accommodate Jess when she came home after hip surgery. He has been her training partner to get back to ESU softball.

Her mother has taken care of all the medications and appointments. She has been the liaison between the real world and her daughter.

“A lot of times they frustrated me,” Ras said of her parents. “I wanted to do things but couldn't because I wasn't allowed. They made sure I didn't.”
Parental concerns

Ras realizes now that her parents were dealing with the possibility of losing their only child. She appreciates today what they were going through and how they kept focus on getting her through it all.

“They saw it as losing a child – I saw it as I could do anything,” she said. “They thought they could lose me if I did things I wasn't supposed to. I know that now.”

Ras said her parents were dealing with concerns that she, a young patient, couldn't even comprehend.

“They were always there for me,” she said. “If I couldn't get up, they lifted me. I know now what a toll it took on them.”

The ordeal drew the family closely together.

“I couldn't be without them now,” she said.

Enduring friendship

Ras' college roommate, Van Orden, 22, is in nursing school. She said watching Ras deal with cancer has given her a better perspective on life and strengthened their bond.

Van Orden said she always knew Ras as a fighter with a constantly positive attitude.

“She has been extremely strong,” Van Orden said. “Through it all, I never saw her break down. She has been the same girl she always has been. She never got down on herself; she's an incredibly strong girl.”

The difficult journey ahead was not on their minds the night the two freshmen went to the Pocono Medical Center emergency room, Van Orden said.

“I remember thinking maybe she had mono,” Van Orden said. “Maybe she was overtired because she was a double-major and into sports. She was pale; she didn't look good.”

When Donna Ras called to tell her daughter her blood test results weren't good, Van Orden said Ras didn't want to believe anything serious was wrong.

“We went back to the hospital,” she said. “I sat with her for two hours. She said she felt like she was dying.”

Van Orden remembers finding out that her roommate, her friend, was in danger of dying. It hit her hard.

“Jess was so calm about it and I was a wreck,” she said. “I wasn't sure what leukemia was. I cried. I didn't want to be in the room; I couldn't sleep.”

Ras has received blood transfusions and she has volunteered for the Red Cross. She speaks to groups about the importance of donating blood. She said she will always be available to help.

Dave Ras has kept a voice message his daughter left on his cell phone shortly after her diagnosis: “I'm gonna win, dad, I'm gonna win. I'm gonna beat this.”