UWSP's Kalena Clauer takes on cancer and serves as a voice for children

Scott A. Williams
Stevens Point Journal
UW-Stevens Point freshman cross-country runner Kalena Clauer was diagnosed with thyroid cancer as a senior in high school.

STEVENS POINT - A year ago, Kalena Clauer was like many other high school seniors.

She was about to close out her cross-country career at Hartland Arrowhead High School, about 30 miles west of Milwaukee. The track season and graduation were on the horizon.

Then, in the blink of an eye, her life changed.

Clauer was in a minor car crash late in the cross-country season. Doctors ordered a battery of tests, and a CT scan detected a nodule on her thyroid. A biopsy on the nodule confirmed she had cancer. Nine lymph nodes were removed from her neck, and eight of them had cancer.

Suddenly cancer was an undeniable part of her life.

"I was surprised by the news. I had no symptoms," said Clauer, a freshman on the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point women's cross-country team. "We didn't think (cancer at my age) was possible, but I guess it is.

"There are all of the emotions — anger, frustration. You're very mad. You're like, 'How could this happen to me?' I was healthy. I don't smoke. I don't do drugs."

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Clauer underwent surgery to remove her thyroid in February. In March, she received a round of radioactive iodine specific to thyroid cancer. With the iodine treatment came complications. Her entire body swelled up. Scar tissue developed in her salivary glands.

Now, she has good days and bad days.

Without a thyroid, her body no longer has the ability to regulate body temperature. She gets really tired. She loses feeling in her limbs. She takes more than 30 pills a day to cope with the complications.

Whether the treatment worked is still up in the air. Initial follow-up scans looked good. Clauer will have more scans at the end of this year. The hope is they come back clean.

"Right now, we're in that fuzzy area where there is no sure way of telling if I have cancer or not until we do another scan," Clauer said. "I don't have a thyroid, so there is nothing growing there, but it could have moved.

"It's a daily battle. You have to start over every day. It's just about dealing with how you feel."

UW-Stevens Point freshman Kalena Clauer (left) wants to use her platform as a college student-athlete to serve as an advocate for childhood cancer awareness.

Speaking up

Faces cringe. Smiles turn to frowns.

When cancer comes up in conversation, the subject often changes or, more likely, the discussion abruptly ends.

In a culture where cancer can evoke deeply intense emotions, Clauer has embraced a chance to become an advocate for children in her situation.

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Clauer believes her position in life, as a college student-athlete, gives her a perfect platform to get the word out about childhood cancer.

Clauer is comfortable being a voice for children who can't or don't want to speak about the disease.

"I have some voice, so I figure why not use it?" she said. "Kids don't get as much support as adults do just because it's less common. I can spread the message and get the word out there through social media and stuff."

Clauer wants people to know childhood cancer is more common and more dire than people may realize.

Approximately 10,590 children in the United States under the age of 15 will be diagnosed with cancer in 2018, according to statistics from the American Cancer Society.

The causes of childhood cancers are largely unknown, and for the most part they cannot be prevented. Next to accidents, cancer is the second-leading cause of death in children under age 15.

In May, Kalena Clauer organized a fundraiser at her high school to benefit Children's Hospital of Wisconsin.

At her high school in May, Clauer joined forces with the track team to help raise more than $6,000 for the oncology unit at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin.

"There are a lot of stereotypes I'm trying to break down," she said. "There is literally no proven cause for this to happen to kids. I want to help other families who are dealing with this because this isn't something anyone should have to deal with."

A shining example

As a freshman in high school, Clauer had a trial run on how to deal with a health-related adversity.

She had half of a lung removed due to a congenital problem. She spent 21 days in an intensive care unit. Twice she was in critical condition.

Clauer kept what she was going through mainly to herself. 

"When I had my lung surgery, I wasn't super open about it," she said. "Then I was getting angry a lot because no one understood it was very painful. 

"But then I realized, how could they understand? I didn't tell them and express that."

That experience completely altered her outlook.

"I promised myself I would never be quiet about it again," she said. "If I tell people my side, they have a better chance of understanding my point of view. 

"No one can ever understand completely, but they can try. If I don't let them try, we're not going to get anywhere."

Count UWSP cross-country coach Brett Witt among those impressed with how Clauer has handled her battle with cancer.

On the third day of practice this fall, Witt gathered his team together and informed them of Clauer's situation. He wanted to remind them that when times get tough for them, they should imagine what Clauer is going through.

"There was dead silence and they all kind of looked like, 'Wow,' " Witt said. "She's come to grips with what she has. She's battling it. She has no problem being a spokesperson and sharing her story, hopefully helping others to fight the fight, so to speak."

All in the family

The Pointers cross-country team has become a second family for Clauer. She was officially welcomed to the Pointers program at the Alumni Meet on Sept. 8.

The team captains came up with the idea to have all the runners and parents wear gold T-shirts in honor of Childhood Cancer Month. An impromptu fundraiser was held.

When Clauer arrived for the meet, she was caught completely off guard.

"She was like, 'This is really cool,' " said Witt, who asked her to give a brief speech.

Without any notes, Clauer got up on a picnic table and addressed the approximately 150 people in attendance.

She gave a two-minute talk about childhood cancer and how it affects people and the money she's helped raise.

UW-Stevens Point freshman cross country runner Kalena Clauer (pink knit hat) served as an honorary captain for the annual football Pink Game event.

"That was the first time where I was like, 'Wow, this is an impressive young lady,' " Witt said. "I don't know if I'll encounter a more impressive young lady than her in the 20 years or so of coaching I have left.

"What she's willing to go through (to be a college cross-country runner) and she wants no sympathy or anything special. She just wants to be part of the team and run, and have fun doing it. It's amazing to me."

The feeling is mutual.

Clauer finds the camaraderie and unwavering support of her teammates helpful on many levels.

"This is a family atmosphere," Clauer said. "It's good to know I can talk about it at practice and be like, 'I'm not feeling very good and here's why.' Yeah it sucks, but they'll try and help me get through it."

Her teammates want to be there for her on the course and off. Clauer recently took them up on an offer to help during a scary episode related to her cancer.

She called Kendra Jaenke, a junior captain, and asked for help. Jaenke took her to the emergency room.

Jaenke and fellow junior Erinn Olmsted sat with her for three hours while doctors ran tests. Fortunately, it wasn't life-threatening.

"I can't imagine what it's like to have to deal with this still being a kid and everything," Jaenke said. "It really puts things in perspective. Nothing I'm dealing with can compare to what she's going through.

"(Kalena) has the most positive, upbeat attitude about it. She doesn't want her whole life centered around cancer. We're open to talk about it, but we leave it up to her."

Born to run

Clauer has a healthier outlook on her cross-country career than many college athletes who never have dealt with an injury, let alone a life-threatening illness.

"I give her a huge amount of credit for pushing through," Jaenke said. "She shows up at almost every practice and on race day, and every meet she's managed to beat people."

Clauer is not the same runner she was before being diagnosed with cancer. As a high school freshman, she was good enough to earn a varsity spot at Arrowhead.

Kalena Clauer gives the thumbs up after a track and field meet with her high school in April.

Clauer wasn't going to let cancer stop her from doing what she loves. She was determined to continue her cross-country career in college.

Being the No. 1 runner for the Pointers isn't her priority. All that matters is being able to run.

And she has a lot of people rooting for her.

"I'm much slower than where I would like to be or could be," Clauer said. "I just want to improve every day and see where I can get as a runner. The goal is to become the runner I was, but who knows if that is possible."