Miles for Moffitt Offers Hope to Young Mother

Staying active has always been part of Amy Maxson’s busy lifestyle. As a 30-year-old mother of two, balancing work and family activities, Maxson made it a point to carve out time each day to work out, whether she was attending a spin class or running a timed mile.  

Diagnosis  

Jacques Fontaine, MDIn 2023, she began having trouble breathing during her workouts, which led to an asthma diagnosis. When medications and an inhaler failed to have an impact, Maxson got a CT scan. The scan showed a large tumor, which turned out to be adenoid cystic carcinoma in her trachea.  

“The tumor was blocking 89% of my airway, and that’s why I was having trouble breathing,” Maxson said. “My pulmonologist told me it was not a good outlook.” 

After her diagnosis, Maxson credits Jacques Fontaine, MD, a thoracic oncologist at Moffitt Cancer Center, for providing her with not only a plan, but also hope.   

“Thank god for Dr. Fontaine,” Maxson said. “He told me it will not be easy, but you are going to be all right.”  

Maxson and Stefania Alastre Arcusa have been close friends since meeting in 2017.

Treatment

Along with her direct care team, including Stephen Rosenberg, MD, director of Adaptive Radiotherapy at Moffitt, and Michael Shafique, MD, a thoracic oncologist at Moffitt, Maxson received support from her husband, family members and close friends. One of her dear friends, Stefania Alastre Arcusa, is a genetic counselor at the cancer center.  

“She has helped me so much through this entire process,” Maxson said. “With her medical background, she truly was able to ease my mind when I would ask her about anything.”  

Maxson underwent multiple bronchoscopies, a complex surgery, 33 radiation sessions, and seven rounds of chemotherapy.  

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Getting Active Again  

Throughout her recovery process, Maxson has gradually resumed physical activities. One of the activities she is looking forward to most is walking the 5K at this year’s 20th Annual Miles for Moffitt event. Alastre Arcusa created a team in honor of Maxson’s journey that now has more than 30 participants.  

“When she first established care at Moffitt, she had not heard of Miles for Moffitt, and so I decided right away that I wanted her to have this as an inspiring event to look forward to, and to celebrate completing many major milestones like surgery, chemotherapy and radiation,” Alastre Arcusa said. “I also thought it might be something we turn into a tradition and repeat for many years to come.” 

Each year, the money raised at Miles for Moffitt is used to create innovative advancements in cancer care and research.  

“I am so excited to be able to give back the little that I can and to be surrounded by other people who have gone through a cancer journey,” Maxson said. “I am just so thankful.”  

If you would like to join Maxson and thousands of others by participating in this year’s event, register here.