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 This year we have published a total of 149
pictures (one short of our goal) and in those pictures we have
featured 1,501 people (one over our goal). In addition to people,
we’ve had a number of pink fur babies, and one much loved local
statue donning a pink bow tie! We realize that a few folks have been
in more than one picture, and that is great! We do count them twice
because, well let’s face it, they made twice the effort!
Speaking of effort, what we have seen this year is a lot of people
who are speaking out about breast cancer, and also choosing to do
something positive in love, honor, respect, or memory of friends and
family.
Some have raised money for the American Cancer Society, others have
done fundraising for different organizations, or to have cash to
give directly to a breast cancer warrior. While LDN has chosen the
American Cancer Society and Relay for Life of Logan County as the
vessel for our fundraising, the fact is there are several great
organizations that do good work and we support all of those
organizations in our heart.
We’ve heard from a lot of people like Heidi Browne who strives to
get the staff of Logan County Correctional involved. She notes that
she has seen breast cancer first hand in several close family
members and she understands how difficult a journey it is to
remission. Showing love and support to those warriors in even the
smallest way is important to them. We hope they have looked at these
photos this month and taken heart knowing that there are hundreds of
people who wish them well, even if they don’t know their names, they
are supporters in the battle.
We’ve heard some stories that pulled at our heart strings and made
us want to do more, to be more proactive in our quest to support
local warriors.
People like Kathleen Brumbaugh who is still a warrior
and fighting to maintain her health and her lifestyle with a big
ole’ smile on her face every day of the week. When we saw Kathleen
at Relay for Life in June, she was just days out of the hospital.
She had been there several weeks with issues with her legs. She
laughed and said ‘well they thought they were going to take it, but
they didn’t.” How can someone laugh about something so scary and so
serious? It’s called faith and acceptance. Accepting that there is
an ongoing battle inside her body and having faith that God will
lead her through it one way or another, she smiles, and carries on
each day of her life, living it fully and finding the happiness in
every minute.
There are people like the staff at Lincoln Community High School who
have also seen breast cancer in their personal lives through friends
and family and have decided to help in the search for a cure.
Abby Curry with LCHS shared the following comments:
“This is our second year coordinating a Pink Friday, and there has
been an outstanding response. We have several staff members who have
been impacted by breast cancer in some way. We love being able to
support the survivors among us, as well as those currently
fighting,”
The high school held a ‘Pink Friday” and used the
opportunity to raise funds for the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
In addition, the girls volleyball team hosted a volley for the cure
and raised $2,021 for the same foundation.
For Volley Coach Anna Maxwell this was an important contribution
that tugged on her heart strings in a very personal way. “My mother
was diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2017 and my grandmother
was diagnosed the following April 2018. Breast cancer hit my family
hard in the past few years. That is why I really wanted to get a
pink out fundraiser going--not only to bring awareness and attention
to the cause but also to celebrate the survivors and those who have
been affected,” Maxwell said.
The LCHS cheerleaders sold pink t-shirts and hosted the first annual
Pink Out Football Game on Friday, October 18th. LCHS cheer sold 130
shirts, with proceeds benefiting the Susan G. Komen Foundation. “We
hope to have a bigger event in the years to come to raise even more
money,” Maxwell commented.
Pink Out Friday was held on Senior Night at the Railer football
game. That night the guys on the team wore pink socks. There were
several others who wore the pink shirts they had purchased through
the fundraiser, including members of the cheerleader and dance
teams.
On October 12th the Lincoln Dairy Queen hosted a car wash as a
fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. The fundraiser brought
in $600 that was donated to the American Cancer Society through the
Friends and Family Relay team. Manager Hayley Werner organized the
fundraiser and did so in loving memory of her aunt, Sandra Adkins.
Adkins was the manager at Dairy Queen for a good number of years.
She impacted the lives of many young people who passed through her
employment over the years.
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 This year, she lost her battle with breast cancer
and moved on to a greater victory on May 16th.
The car wash included several volunteers who knew and loved Sandra,
including her two daughters Cynthia and Cortney.
One person can make a difference. Jason Lawrence
is one of those people. He is using his talent to help support a
friend and co-worker who is currently a warrior, fighting cancer
with the support of her friends.
Ann Tieman works at the Memorial Behavioral Health with Lawrence.
The staff at the Lincoln center have done things such as making
special pink warrior shirts that they wore throughout the month,
showing Ann their love and support. When they wear their shirts,
they send the message literally “her fight is our fight.” That has
to be a comfort to someone who is battling, to know that there are
people out in the world who have your back, will hold up when you
are down, and cheer for you and with you when you finally win, has
to be inspirational and encouraging to Ann.
In addition, Lawrence is making and selling pink ink pens. He’s
donating the money directly to Tieman to help her with cash expenses
that she may have during her battle. The pens are being made as they
are ordered by Lawrence, and we think they would make great
Christmas gifts for anyone while sending a subtle message and
supporting a warrior. If you are interested in ordering pens contact
Jason via his facebook page.
And, finally, even within the Friends and Family Team there are
those who know what this battle is like, and they are weary of
losing friends and family. The goal of all the team is to see a day
when cancer, all cancers, not just breast cancer, are curable, even
eradicated, no longer existing in our world. But until then, we have
to keep working, keep trying to help not only with money but with
personal love and support of everyone we know and love those who are
in the fight for their lives.
The story while ending now, really starts with Cindy Guyett. Guyett
and her husband Erv have had very close friends with breast cancer.
Cindy gave of her time to assist her friends with their daily
battle. From driving them to doctors’ appointments to providing food
and of course, a shoulder to lean on and cry on when times were
rough, she gave what she knew how to give to help the ones she cared
about.
Others on the team have been through the same thing, and we’ve all
experienced the ups and downs of the breast cancer battle standing
beside the people we loved, hoping and praying that they would come
through on the other side.
We’ve seen several ultimate victories from a life of pain and
suffering exchanged for an eternal life of perfection and unlimited
happiness.
And, we’ve seen warriors win. It’s a great feeling when you talk to
a friend or loved on and they tell you the doc has just told them
they are cancer free. The elation they feel transfers to all those
around them, and the relief, the tremendous relief, is
indescribable.
“I saw this, I felt it when we heard that our daughter-in-law was
cancer free,” said Nila Smith. “And that is the best part of the
story. The worst part is that horrible, sinking feeling in our
hearts the night she told us she had cancer. The buzzing in your
ears, not hearing anything but the words ‘breast cancer’ and ‘stage
four.’ Thinking about how close she is to her husband, to her two
young daughters and vowing not to cry in front of them, to smile and
be strong, because you’re not the one who is sick. It is your job to
support the one who is sick.”
So, if you are in battle, we support you along with hundreds of
others in this community. If you are caring for someone who is in
battle, we’ve been there too, and we understand your unique pain.
Don’t let anyone ever tell you they know what you are going through,
because they don’t. We all handle this differently, we all suffer
and rejoice in our own way. But do know this, there are plenty of us
out here who do understand.
And, please know and understand, this past month has not been just
about raising money. It has not been just about getting pictures for
the paper. It has been about showing you that you are loved, and
letting you know that you have a friend, maybe one you’ve never met,
but none-the-less a friend who will pray for you, encourage you, and
listen to you if you need one.
God bless the warriors, God bless the survivors, God bless the
supporters, and God give rest to those who have surrendered. We do
this for all of you, for all of them.
[Nila Smith] |
