A Centennial woman who survived an intense battle with leukemia as a teenager is now looking to give back by becoming The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s 2011 Woman of the Year.

A few days before her 16th birthday, Megan McEwan went to a Maine hospital for a chest X-ray under suspicion of pneumonia. The X-ray uncovered fluid in her lungs and a tumor on her sternum. Subsequent tests discovered additional fluid surrounding her heart.

“When you have fluid around your heart, you can’t last too long like that,” McEwan said.

She was immediately airlifted to Children’s Hospital Boston, where doctors inserted a tube into her chest to drain the fluid. A bone marrow test confirmed a nightmare scenario: the teenager had T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

“At that point, they started pretty intense chemotherapy and it caused all the cancer cells to go to my kidneys,” McEwan said.

Her kidneys failed, causing a “significant roadblock” to her recovery, McEwan said. She spent three weeks receiving dialysis until her kidneys began functioning again. The organ failure took a terrible toll on her body.

“By that point, I had pretty much lost all my strength. I had to relearn how to walk and kind of start over,” McEwan said.

She underwent two years of weekly chemotherapy and finally beat her cancer into remission. She has not had a relapse in nearly nine years.

Now, McEwan wants to ensure people in situations similar to hers have access to the highest levels of care and support. The Man & Woman of the Year contest work as a fundraiser, with each dollar solicited counting as a vote.

“All the money raised goes to research for blood cancer treatments and patient and family support programs,” said Rhiannon Hendrickson, a member of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Rocky Mountain Chapter’s Board of Trustees.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society donated $72 million nationwide to blood cancer research in 2010. The disease afflicts nearly 960,000 people in the U.S. alone, and someone dies from it approximately every 10 minutes, Hendrickson said.

McEwan is competing against four other women for the honor. But in this contest, the true winners are the patients who benefit from the money raised.

“This was just an opportunity in a very small way to give back,” McEwan said.

In 2010, the local Man & Woman of the Year campaign garnered more than $200,000 with eight candidates. There are 10 nominees this year — five men and five women — and the society has increased the goal to $250,000, Hendrickson said. The 10 candidates are the most the Rocky Mountain Chapter, which comprises all of Colorado and part of Wyoming, has ever had.

The winners will be announced at a gala from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. May 20 at the Denver Mariott City Center. The nominees can continue to solicit for money right up until the awards ceremony, including at a silent auction directly preceding the event.

“The candidates do not know how much they have raised, and the totals are completely confidential,” Hendrickson said.

The local winner will go on to compete for national Man & Woman of the Year honors.

McEwan has tried every trick in the book to support her cause. She’s organized a benefit concert and small events at several Centennial businesses, but her friends and family continue to provide the most generous donations, she said.

“Every dollar counts and it’s been a great experience,” McEwan said. “I’m excited to finish the last few weeks out.”

To donate to McEwan or any other Man or Woman of the Year candidate, interested individuals can visit www.mwoy.org/rm. Tickets for the Grand Finale Gala are also available on the website for $150.