Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

It is very likely everyone will be touched by this disease and one Park University faculty member is fighting it.

At 43 years old, Park University’s Leslie Buckingham is now battling cancer and has been since June 2011.

“I had a lump in my breast,” she said. “I was told everything is going to be good.”

The professor, who wears a gray hat and gets around on campus with a walker, has taught at Park University since 1999, after graduating from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She is a adjunct senior instructor for the Art, Design and Theatre department.

After dealing with chemotherapy, a mastectomy surgery and radiation, Buckingham was told she had conquered cancer in December 2012.

She spent 2013 recovering from the surgery where she had a breast removed.

“Everything seemed fine,” Buckingham said about her recovery time.

However, in December 2013 while she was out with her husband and two sons having dinner, she had a seizure and had to be taken to the emergency room where she found out her triple negative breast cancer was back.

“They found tumors throughout my brain” she said. “Now [the cancer] is in my brain, my lungs, my breast and my bones,” said Buckingham.

From there, she went back on chemotherapy. After almost one year, doctors have told her the cancer is staying constant.

She also had a tumor in her hip, leading to her needing to have her hip replaced. This is why she uses a walker to get around on campus.

During her time at Park, Buckingham usually teaches two to three classes a semester, with a mix of face-to-face and online classes.

However, this fall semester she only taught for one Fall 1 course and one 16-week class.

“I love teaching,” she said. “It’s very good for me to get out and do something I like.”

Even while fighting her cancer, Buckingham has had the opportunity to travel with the study abroad program at Park and teach in Greece and Italy.

However, she still has to face what life throws at her with her cancer.

“I end up going to the hospital at least once a week,” she said.

Buckingham also said her mother helps her out by driving her to campus the days she teaches classes.

One thing that gives Buckingham motivation is the dedication she has to her family.

When she first learned she had cancer, she was in the process of adopting her son, Jon David Denslow, who is now four years old.

Cancer also didn’t prevent her from adopting another child, Braiden, in the spring of 2014 with her husband, with whom she has been married to for eight years.

But even while fighting the cancer, Buckingham does what she can to stay optimistic about the future.

“Her battle with cancer never seemed to stop her for coming to every class” said Kara Lough, Junior in Elementary Education, “she wasn’t afraid to talk about her struggles, and had her fair share of bad days.”

“I recommend her as a teacher to all my friends, Mrs. Buckingham is an extraordinary teacher and a role model.”