Fluhart withdraws

Andy Fluhart was diagnosed Friday with a relapse of Ewing's sarcoma, a rare cancer.

By Jenna Youngs

Published Oct. 19, 2004

Senior Andy Fluhart knows how to pick his battles.

Early Saturday morning, Fluhart informed Board of Elections Commissioners Chairwoman Tara Brandenburger that he and running mate Jackie Cook-Eberle were dropping out of the race for Missouri Students Association president and vice president because he has been diagnosed with a relapse of Ewing's sarcoma, a rare cancer diagnosed in children and young adults that starts in bone tissue.

Fluhart was diagnosed with the disease in January 2003. After months of intense chemotherapy treatments, he ended his treatment in December, he said.

During a checkup Friday, he said doctors found between five and eight new tumors on his left lung.

Fluhart said doctors told him if he decided to "do nothing," his life expectancy would be between one and three months, however if he starts chemotherapy it would extend at least six months to a year. Fluhart said he began chemotherapy treatments Monday morning.

Fluhart said he told Cook-Eberle about the results and decided to drop out of the election.

Cook-Eberle said Fluhart told her he would support her decision to run with another candidate if she wanted to continue the campaign.

"I chose to run because I was running with Andy and couldn't imagine doing it with anyone else," she said.

Brandenburger said she received an e-mail from Fluhart at 2:30 Saturday morning informing her he decided to drop out.

"I was personally saddened both to hear his personal news, and to hear he would not be able to run," Brandenburger said. "I gave him my personal well-wishes and told him I hoped he would be able to continue to work for the students as long as possible."

Fluhart, who also is a member of Homecoming Royalty, said he will continue to work on platform issues throughout the remainder of the year.

"Following the Homecoming activities, I will withdraw from the university," he said. "I'm currently a (community adviser) for Res. Life, but I'll be moving out into a friend's duplex to work on getting things done."

Fluhart said he wants to see his keychain call box plan followed through. He's also working to install an optional music file-sharing program to benefit students and faculty members.

"Andy's platform ideas were clearly things he and Jackie felt strongly about," Brandenburger said. "I think it is good that those ideas will not fall to the wayside because he is not running. I fully support his intentions to continue working on his platform issues and hope to see as many of them as possible accomplished."

Cook-Eberle said she also will continue to work with Fluhart on issues from their platform.

"I'm definitely interested in continuing to be involved with safety issues," she said. "Just because we're not MSA leadership doesn't mean we can't work on important issues."

As president of the honorary society Omicron Delta Kappa, Fluhart said he also will continue working on the Cardiothon, a fund-raiser organized with the Student Recreation Center to benefit the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

Fluhart recently was named a finalist in the Lance Armstrong Foundation's Junior Spirit of Survivorship Award competition.

"You don't waste your time on negative feelings," he said when he received the honor of being named a finalist. "You spend that energy knowing you have to win each battle along the way to ultimately win the war that is taking place inside your body."