FPS Hosts Day at the Beach for Families Facing Cancer

 In News

Jen Lankin prefers to think of herself as a cancer “battler,” not a survivor.

Now in remission, the 43-year-old middle school reading teacher from Lansdale, Pa., has been fighting cancer ever since she was diagnosed with leukemia in 2016.

“I don’t like the term survivor. I think I’m a battler,” Lankin said.

By describing herself as a battler, she wants everyone to know that she is determined to conquer cancer instead of simply hoping to survive.

On a sultry Wednesday morning, Lankin and her family joined with other “battlers” for a beach outing in Sea Isle City that allowed them to enjoy a getaway of sorts from the emotional and physical toll of cancer.

Lankin, her husband, Rob, 46, and her 14-year-old stepdaughter, Emma, were part of a group of about 90 people enjoying a day at the shore organized by a nonprofit organization called For Pete’s Sake Cancer Respite Foundation.

Normally, For Pete’s Sake and its sponsors team up to send cancer patients and their family members on weeklong trips to the Jersey Shore and other vacation destinations. But the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted the vacations in the past year.

The beach trip Wednesday at 46th Street in Sea Isle was the first full-fledged outing that For Pete’s Sake was able to organize since the pandemic struck last year…Read more here.