LAWRENCE, Kan. - A University of Kansas student from Meriden, Kan. is not letting her battle with cancer prevent her from becoming the first in her family to graduate from college.
Jessica Roark is currently in Houston, Texas undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatment for cancer. She will return to Lawrence on May 15 to receive her degree in environmental studies. She plans to march in the May 17 commencement procession, then she will join a river restoration project as part of a National Science Foundation Research stipend.
Roark was a sophomore in 2006 when the swelling around her right eye was finally correctly diagnosed as adenoid cystic carcinoma. It typically occurs in salivary glands but can occur anywhere in the body and has a high propensity for recurrence.
In 2007, surgeons removed a tumor and her right eye. By fall 2007, Roark had returned to classes. Next fall, she will be vice-president of the Society of Women Engineers at KU. Roark is hopeful that the chapters first fundraising auction will support the Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma Research Foundation.
