Burla to Undergo Surgery for Malignant Tumor - rrw
Matt Scherer Feb 22nd 2010, 1:44am | PrintReport |
BURLA TO UNDERGO SURGERY FOR MALIGNANT TUMOR
By David Monti
(c)
2010 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved. Used with permission
NEW YORK (21-Feb)
-- Promising USA distance runner Serena Burla will undergo surgery here
on Friday for a malignant tumor in her leg.
"About three weeks
ago, I was diagnosed with a malignant tumor in my right hamstring during
a check-up for a nagging right knee irritation," the 27 year-old Burla
wrote in a statement to friends which she subsequently approved for
public release. "The good news is that it has not spread to other parts
of my body. I'll undergo surgery and further treatment at the Memorial
Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City next Friday."
Burla's
medical problem was initially reported to Race Results Weekly by her
coach, Isaya Okwyia, who is a medical doctor.
Born Serena Ramsey,
Burla, from Ellisville, Mo., competed for the University of Missouri
where she was the Big 12 runner-up at both 5000m and 10,000m in 2006.
She married Missouri teammate, shot-putter Adam Burla, and the couple
had a son, Boyd, in December, 2008. She came back strongly from
maternity leave last June, taking second at the NYRR New York Mini 10-K,
clocking 33:04 on a hilly course.
Under Okwyia, Burla discovered
her abilities at the longer end of the distance running spectrum. She
finished 17th (second American) at the IAAF World Half-Marathon
Championships last October in a then personal best of 1:10:55. She
dropped that time to 1:10:08 at the 2010 USA Half-Marathon Championships
in Houston last January, finishing second to Olympic bronze medallist,
Shalane Flanagan. Burla had planned to compete in the NYC Half-Marathon
on March 21, but withdrew from the race after getting her diagnosis.
"I
would also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their
continued support and prayers," Burla continued. "As usual, I have my
game face on and plan on fighting through this."
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