SALEM — When 72-year-old Barbara Rubano, a Lynn native and Peabody resident, learned she had lung cancer last year, she admitted she at first went into shock, but quickly decided that she was determined to beat the disease.

Having either walked, volunteered, or participated in some way or another for over 12 years at the North Shore Medical Center Cancer Walk, Rubano said she was taken aback that she, too, was now facing the same disease that she walked to find a cure for a dozen years.

After visiting Dr. Bruce Barlam, a thoracic surgeon at NSMC, Rubano was given good news when she was told he would be able to remove the tumor that was attached to her chest wall through a fairly invasive surgery.

During the operation, the upper section of Rubano’s left lung was removed, along with the tumor.

Shortly after, Barlam sent her to the NSMC Cancer Center in Peabody for chemotherapy once a week for five weeks for treatments lasting five hours each.

“I recovered very well from the surgery considering what the operation entailed, and I didn’t get sick from the chemotherapy,” she said. “I still have to go in for examinations every three months, but it will be one year in July since I was diagnosed.”

An avid golfer for over 20 years, Rubano said she asked Barlam if she could return to her beloved sport only one month after having undergone surgery.

“At first he looked at me like I was crazy, but then he said, OK, why not,” she said. “What could be better than that?”

Although Rubano missed the Cancer Walk last year, she is raring to go to volunteer at the 18th annual NSMC walk on June 22.

“My daughter and her husband, granddaughter and other family members walked for me last year when I couldn’t,” she said. “So this year, I’m excited to get back out there and walk, or volunteer with my friends at the refreshment stands in the Willows.”

Thrilled to be cancer free, Rubano said she now just wants to give back to the hospital that saved her life.

The NSMC cancer walk has raised over $13 million in the fight against cancer since it began 17 years ago.

Walkers typically raise $100 or more that will directly benefit the expansion and relocation of the NSMC Cancer Center to the Massachusetts General/North Shore Center for Outpatient Care, slated to open in Danvers in 2009.

To register for the event, visit www.nsmccancerwalk.org or call 866-296-6900.

If you Walk.....

What: 18th annual NSMC Cancer WALK.

When: Sunday, June 22nd, 2008. Registration starts at 7:30 am. Event has a rolling start time of 8:00 am.

Where: WALK begins and ends at Salem Willows Park in Salem.

Registration is easy. If you are interested in walking or making a donation, you can visit www.nsmccancerwalk.org or call toll free 866-296-6900.

Join the North Shore Medical Center for the 18th annual NSMC Cancer WALK on June 22. The 6.2 mile route features an array of entertainment and refreshment breaks, making the day a fun and entertaining community event.

As the North Shore's largest single-day fundraising event, the NSMC Cancer WALK has collectively raised more than $13 million in the fight against cancer on the North Shore of Massachusetts. This year, all proceeds will directly benefit the expansion and relocation of the NSMC Cancer Center to the Mass General/ North Shore Cancer Center, slated to open in Danvers, Mass. in 2009. The new facility will build on a decades-old collaboration between NSMC and Mass General and significantly deepen the level of integration between the two institutions. The state-of-the-art facility will insure continued access to comprehensive and coordinated medical, surgical, and radiation oncology care in a compassionate, community-based environment.