HEART OF STEELE

Almost 25 years ago, we lost my dad to pancreatic cancer.

He left us about two years after his diagnosis, following surgery and months of brutal chemotherapy, then stomach pain that turned out to be multiple abdominal tumors. Instead of going back to chemo, which might have given him a few more months, he decided with my family’s full support to enter hospice care.

And on a bitter cold morning in February, Dad passed peacefully into what I am sure is a better world.

Since then, I have regularly supported the American Cancer Society (ACS) and covered more than a dozen Relay for Life events. Over the years, I’ve met scores of cancer survivors whose stories are always a privilege to tell.

This year, writing about the Steele County Relay feels even more meaningful.

In July, my younger sister passed away after living for five years with stage 4 breast cancer. But while my dad’s cancer treatment was debilitating, she spent her final years traveling and walking her dogs, and celebrating special events with loved ones.

For my family, the research and services funded by Relay for Life gave us more good years with Chris than any of us expected. Her oncologist said some patients with late-stage cancer had survived as long as 10 years with the treatment plan she followed.

Every dollar collected during the upcoming Steele-Waseca Relay for Life event will benefit today’s cancer patients and those diagnosed in the years to come. Research funded by these ACS events provides two things money can’t buy: time and hope.

To those in our community who have a heart for this good cause, thank you for those most precious gifts.