Drag racing legend Shirley Muldowney underwent surgery yesterday in Charlotte, North Carolina to remove a cancerous lung after being diagnosed with Stage 2 lung cancer. Muldowney has vowed to fight the disease with everything that she has and knowing Shirley as we do, we think that cancer has picked the wrong person to mess with. She stands as not only an inspiration to female racers the world over but to anyone that has ever fought the odds to succeed. Shirley’s legendary toughness came as the result of having to not only battle opponents on the track but the very organizations she was racing in. A trail blazer in many respects, she has spent a career as an outspoken racer who could back up every word that came out of her mouth on the track. Few people in the history of drag racing have been able to do what she did.
UPDATE: Here’s the latest from Muldowney’s social media feed:
Shirley is out of surgery with her doctor saying everything went great. There’s a chance it was just an infected tumor, not cancer. More tests are needed, but everything today went great. Dr. removed upper & middle lobes of lung, & lymph nodes, and sent tumor for testing. #ShirleyStrong
Laying out the situation, a press release from Geiger Global Media said the following:
Drag racing legend Shirley Muldowney has been diagnosed with lung cancer and will undergo surgery at Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center in downtown Charlotte early Wednesday morning to remove her right lung, where a Stage II tumor has grown. Renowned thoracic and cardiac surgeon Dr. Harold Howe will lead the team performing the five-hour-long procedure.
“I urge everyone to keep up with their health and get chest X-rays as often as possible to make sure they are OK,” the 75-year-old Muldowney said. “I’m a fighter, always have been, and I’m going to fight this as best I can with everything I got. Dr. Howe is the No. 1 guy in the business, and he’s as ready as I am to get this thing out of me.
“I’m ready for the pain to stop. It’s been getting worse the last few weeks as they did biopsies and the pre-op stress tests to make sure I was strong enough to have the surgery. Everything is good, so we’re getting it done.”
Click here to see the full story on the fight Shirley Muldowney faces
My photo!
Tried to send an e-mail and a facebook message to Shirley and could not get them to go through. We are just glad to hear she is out of surgery and recovering. I remember talking to her a couple of minutes one year at Bristol dragway in Tennessee where she ran the first 300 mph there and I believe Doug Herbert ran the same that weekend. It was a great weekend and one of many. We are just so glad her surgery went well. Thank you to Shirley Muldowney for all she has done and continues to do. Thanks for your time.