Congratulations to carcinoid cancer survivor Monica Grundmann on winning the OCTRA 25 mi/40 km Competitive Trail Ride in Stormont, Ontario, Canada with her MORAB stallion, Excalibur Legend, on June 10th (check out those zebra striped gloves!!). Monica dedicated her ride to carcinoid awareness, the Carcinoid Cancer Foundation in the United States, and the Carcinoid NeuroEndocrine Tumor Society Canada. In honor of Monica others will be riding with zebra ribbons during future competitions! Monica is incorporating zebra striping on her saddle pad and wears zebra gloves!! Monica breeds, raises, trains and enters in competitions. And visit her Facebook page, @Monica Grundmann to see more great photos of her beautiful horses.
Why the zebra for carcinoid and neuroendocrine cancer awareness? In medical school, students are told, “When you hear hoof beats, think horses, not zebras.” Physicians are taught to focus on the most likely possibilities when making a diagnosis, not the unusual ones. Sometimes physicians need to look for a zebra. In the rare disease community, the zebra can be carcinoid or a related neuroendocrine tumor (NET), such as a pancreatic NET.
