'Olympic athlete of recovery' takes on Summit Challenge obstacle-course cancer fundraiser

On St. Patrick's Day 2021, Michelle Perry was diagnosed with breast cancer. When she learned she would need a bilateral mastectomy, she thought about coaching the Parsippany Hills track and field program. She also thought about a half-Ironman triathlon she was scheduled to compete in a few months later.

Surgical oncologist William Diehl, who had diagnosed the stage 0 breast cancer after a follow-up MRI and biopsy, and Michelle's husband, Jeff Perry, just stared at her.

"That's the part when they thought I was crazy," said Michelle Perry, a Rockaway resident who teaches advanced-placement and honors physics at Parsippany Hills High School.

"But I've got these triathlons I've signed up for. ... In my mind, I thought I did everything right," she said. "I exercised. I ate right. This can't be happening."

Perry stepped back from the outdoor track season and had the mastectomy. She taught a virtual physics class three days later, "even though I could barely move my arms at that point."

Six weeks after breast reconstruction in August, Perry placed third in her age group at a sprint triathlon.

Seizing the moment

About a year removed from breast cancer, Perry will compete in the Summit Challenge on June 5 at The Park in Berkeley Heights. It's a 2½-mile run dotted with five obstacles.

It is a fundraiser for Summit Health Cares' Cancer Comfort Project, which provides non-medical resources to patients and families undergoing cancer treatment. Perry considers herself lucky not to have needed most of the services, but she did get follow-up calls from a Summit Health psychologist. 

The Summit Challenge fits into Perry's history of physical fundraisers, with a key twist.

"This isn't for research," said Perry, who teaches yoga and cycling at the Lakeland Hills YMCA in Mountain Lakes. "It's for the people going through it right now. They're not looking for a cure. They're going through it right now. A cure is great, and I'm going to do those things, but if you're going through it now, you're looking for whatever help you may need."

Perry formed her own community team, and added Stony Brook Elementary School's monkey bars, jungle gym and miniature balance beam to her exercise routine to strengthen her "chicken arms." There will also be two teams of Parsippany Hills distance runners competing in her honor: Perry's Platypuses from the cross-country team, and the Fast and Furious Five.

"We want to be there for her after she was there for us these three years," said Laila Tatis, a Parsippany Hills junior who organized the cross-country team's surprise party for Perry in the fall, complete with pink T-shirts, roses and balloons.

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"When we run, or wear [the shirts] in school, we know Coach Perry defeated breast cancer," Tatis said. "I didn't even bother to ask [co-organizer Yash Patel] or anyone on the team. I said, 'These five are on my team,' and we're doing it."

Changing history

Alexandra Partington, Perry's sister, had breast cancer treated via a lumpectomy and radiation. Because of that family history, Perry was accustomed to an annual mammogram and ultrasound. She'd also had a previous biopsy on her left breast.

When Perry got a call for further testing on the left side, she wasn't concerned. Then Diehl suggested the follow-up MRI, which found what he described as "a pretty substantial abnormality." Even though it was only stage 0, Diehl said, it was "fairly extensive ... not a life-threatening problem, a breast-threatening problem."

"It's very, very rewarding to not only be able to cure a patient, but restore her to normal function," said Diehl, the Florham Park-based medical director for the Summit Health Breast Cancer Center.

"Having her be out there doing what she loves to do and competing, that's the purpose of treatment. ... There was never any question she'd get back to normal quite quickly. She was the Olympic athlete of recovery. She breezed right through everything."

Jane Havsy is a storyteller for the Daily Record and DailyRecord.com, part of the USA TODAY Network. For full access to live scores, breaking news and analysis, subscribe today.

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