BY DUFFY HAYES
www.summitdaily.com

BRECKENRIDGE - This is not a happy story ... at least not yet.

Earlier in January of this year, Summit High grad Rachael Taitano floated serenely on her surfboard among the rolling waves repeating in one of the million surf spots in her native Hawaii. Despite spending her high school years in snowy Summit County, on her belly on her surfboard was where Rachael was truly in her element, friends say.

That day, an irritating twinge around her rib cage - something she thought was simply a bruise or torn cartilage - was enough to send her back to the shore, and into a local doctor's office.

A fateful X-ray revealed a mysterious black mass invading her lungs.

Doctors initially couldn't accurately diagnose Rachael's illness. They soon realized it was indeed cancer, but a study of the contents ruled out lung cancer specifically.

Rachael traveled to the specialized Mayo Clinic in Arizona, finally receiving an accurate diagnosis - germ cell cancer, the disease battled and won by perhaps the world's most famous cancer survivor, Lance Armstrong.

That was a troubling diagnosis for Rachael, however. Germ cell cancer is most common in men, where it originates in the testicles, and can spread to other parts of the body in quick fashion. In women, germ cell cancer grows in the ovaries first; just 1 to 2 percent of ovarian cancers are germ cell tumors, and those usually occur in teenagers and young women - like Rachael.

But with no real outward signs of the cancer until it had spread to her chest, by the time doctors figured out what Rachael with afflicted with, her cancer had grown to an advanced stage.

Since being diagnosed with advanced stage germ cell cancer, Rachael has undergone aggressive treatment at a specialty facility in Indiana. Two times, she's had a 10-day-on, 10-day-off chemotherapy and bone marrow transplant treatment. (Rachael has described it as "an industrial strength chemo bomb" in emails to friends.) In it, doctors first harvest and extract bone marrow within the first two days of the cycle, then give her high-intensity chemotherapy for 7 days. On the last two days of the cycle, she's re-infused with the extracted bone marrow.

Because of the high-risk treatment, Rachael will have to beat the odds to survive. Of the 35 people with a similar condition that her doctors have treated the same way, five have been cured by this type of aggressive treatment.

Lance Armstrong's story is a source of strength for Rachael, however. His germ cell cancer was in an advanced stage as well when diagnosed, and doctors gave him just a 30 percent chance to live at the time. In fact, Armstrong's primary doctor, Dr. Lawrence Einhorn, is treating Rachael in Indiana.

Friends to hold fundraiser/raffle Wednesday

Though Rachael now splits her time between treatment in Indiana, and spiritual healing in her native Hawaii, her cadre of friends formed from her years at Summit High School are rallying around her cause.

"(Rachael) is the kind of girl who's just friends with everybody," said Ryan Thompson, a friend of hers from high school who's organizing an event in her name on Wednesday, at 6 p.m. in Carter Park in Breckenridge.

"She has that approachability you don't always find in others," he said of his battling friend.

Thompson snowboards professionally, and he's spearheaded the effort to organize a fundraiser to help Rachael's family defray the escalating medical costs that are mounting. As a pro rider, he's gotten a number of other riders to donate some of their gear to the silent auction they'll hold on Wednesday.

"For most of us who live in Summit County, skiing and snowboarding is a big part of our life. It was like that for Rachael, too," Thompson said. "A lot of our immediate friends snowboard for a living, and like me, I have a living room filled with stuff that brands send me that I just don't do anything with," he said of all the gear they plan to raffle off at Wednesday's event.

"We seriously have so much stuff," he added. "I'm practically assuming that everyone who comes and gets a raffle ticket will walk away with something."

Admittance to Wednesday night's fundraiser is $10 at the door, which will include one of those raffle tickets. Local businesses have donated pizza, beer, soda, and other things, and there will also be a silent auction for a number of items. Thompson and other friends have really rallied the community to the cause, and many people have stepped up with donations, including fancy wine, ski clothing, snowboards, and other stuff.

One woman overheard Thompson talking about the fundraiser at a local business, and offered a week's stay at her condo in Kauai for the silent auction.

"It blows my mind to see what kind of extent people are willing to go to," Thompson said of the outpouring of support from the community.

They've also set up a fund people can contribute to if they wish. Any FirstBank location will accept donations to the Rachael Taitano Benefit Fund.

Fundraiser for Rachael Taitano

When: Wednesday, 6-9 p.m.

Where: Carter Park Pavilion, Breckenridge

Cost: $10 per person, which gets yougoodies, raffle ticket, and access to the silent auction

For more information: Call Morgan Gunson at (970) 485-0845 or Ryan Thompson at (970) 389-5258

Duffy Hayes can be reached at (970) 668-4621, or at dhayes@summitdaily.com.