BP woman chairs Mower County Relay for Life

Lisa Reese, 43, of Blooming Prairie served as this year’s Relay for Life honorary chair in Mower County.
A new twist was added to this year’s Mower County Relay for Life, the site being moved from the Mower County Fairgrounds to the down- town area of Austin on the south
side. The 2019 version of Relay for
Life was held Friday, July 26.
Reese, who battled breast cancer, is now cancer free and was chosen the honorary chair to give her the opportunity to share her journey story with others.
There were 12 Relay teams and Lisa was part of one of them. Her teammates were: Michael Jordahl, Bob Hartman, Sarah Hartman, Lisa Dunlop and Owen Hartman.
“Friday evening was unbeliev- able,” said Reese.
“This was my first relay for life for the American Cancer Society and it was an awesome experience,” related Reese, who will be married to Wes Gresham on Aug. 31.
The community comes together and this shows its support for this incredible event, Reese says.
She tells her story of being a Relay team member:
“We held a silent auction, teams were in the aisle lines raising money throughout the night. We sold lumi- naries, and then got to light them at dusk. It was amazing!
“I was selected as the honorary
chair this year and what an honor it was! The American Cancer Soci-
ety likes to honor those who have
fought and won their battle. So it
was a good way to help show that we can win the battle and we will fight!”
Reese was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer in August of 2017. She started chemotherapy immediately and continued it for six months. She then underwent surgery to remove anything that wasn’t killed by the chemotherapy.
She had 26 proton therapy ses- sions and by July of 2018, she was cancer free.
Reese said by being strong for others, she can show kindness and show people the strength they need to fight the battle against cancer.
The cancer survivor is very familiar with the Blooming Prairie Cancer Group. She says the local
group is a generous organization of
individuals who take care of those affected by cancer. “They helped with anything I needed from park- ing passes to fruit,” she said. “It was nice to have them here locally. They raise money all year to help those in need. I can’t thank them enough.”
Reese said her family has never
stopped believing that she could beat this dreadful disease. “They made sure I was well and taken care of,” she said.
She credits her fianc? Wes and her daughter Marnie as the inspira- tion she needed to get through some trying times.
“I am cancer free and healthy as can be,” she affirmed.
Reese is employed by North American Title.

*/