Run
started. I really want to have this Run Against Lung Cancer to raise awareness. Lung cancer is one of the deadliest forms of cancer. The first doctor who diagnosed me told me to go home and get my affairs in order. Thankfully, my husband found me another doctor who I’ve been with ever since.”
Anthony Tullio is a private contractor for McKesson Medical Supplies and was familiar with many doctors so he had no trouble leading his wife to a quality oncologist with a more positive outlook, Tullio said.
Tullio explained that she also wanted to raise funds to contribute to research because “lung cancer research is one of the least funded of all cancers.”
“People always think that lung cancer is self-inflicted through smoking or job choice. But that is not always the case. There are many other reasons and causes why people get lung cancer,” Tullio explained.
The mother of four sons, George Swink, Joey Parente, David Tullio and Anthony Tullio, and grandmother of five, said that she feels stress played a significant role in triggering the growth of her cancer. Tullio was the owner of McTullio’s Pub at the TriState Mall in Claymont, Delaware, behind where Levitz Furniture was located. When an opportunity came up to buy a larger spot two doors down, Tullio made the move to the larger space. Three days after her grand opening is when she was diagnosed with the cancer.
“I plugged along with the bar operation while undergoing treatment for the lung cancer,” Tullio explained, “but when the brain cancer diagnosis came, I was inspired to close. I just felt it was the right time to close the doors on this chapter. I did it without regret.”
Tullio, who grew up in Springfield, graduated from Springfield High School in the Class of 1973. Before owning the tavern, she bartended throughout the area, at Kelly’s in Havertown, Concord Café in Aston and Roy’s Pour House in Claymont, before buying it and turning it into McTullio’s Pub.
Since hanging up her bar apron, the energetic Tullio enjoys spending time with her family and working part-time for her husband’s private contractor business. She an active member of Cornerstone Church, enjoys playing with her American Akita rescue dog “Duke,” volunteers once a week at the Delaware County Pregnancy Center in Chester and is, in her own words, “an insane Eagles fan,” rarely missing an opportunity to watch a game.
“This is going to be a fantastic event, bigger and better than last year,” gushed Tullio enthusiastically about the 2017 Run Against Lung Cancer. “We expect upwards of 150 bikers. I hope non-bikers come too. They are welcome to ride along or meet us at the after-party in Chadds Ford. If we raised almost $6,000 last year, I know we can top that number this year. Together, we can make a difference.”