Fundraisers
West Clark County
Benign Band

7/10-7/12/09 -- Columbia County
Garage Sale

OUT-OF-THE-BOX FUNDRAISERS

Mini-Relay For Life
of Echo Shaw

Echo Shaw Mini RFL - 2009

After reading all about the Sherwood Mini-Relay on Relay Rumble, I forwarded the article to the principal of the school I work at, and our School Counselor as well. Since our school, Echo Shaw has 5 Relay teams, they were totally on board to do it...

Well, we did our final count today and Echo Shaw fundraised a total of $1,246.01!! I am so proud of those kids!! I have heard the kids talking to each other about how they are going to visit the "big Relay" this summer :) I also wanted to share some pictures with you. Thank you for all of your support and a huge thank you to my committee friends who helped sponsor our Mini-Relay so that the students could all have shirts- there hasn't been a day go by that kids aren't wearing them to school.

-- Angela

Read more about the Echo Shaw
Mini Relay For Life

Click to see larger pictures...




Echo Shaw Mini RFL - 2009


Echo Shaw Mini RFL - 2009

 


 

Survivor's Chain of Hope!

Sonia McDowall and Lyn'D Tillman have started a "Survivor's Chain of Hope" where each link represents one year of life for a cancer survivor. Each link has a color representing the type of cancer and the survivor's name. They will be displaying their Chain of Hope at the SE Portland Relay For Life on August 14-15, 2009.

 

Click to see larger pictures...

Sonia McDowall and Lyn'D Tillman with their Chain of Hope


Chain of Hope

Spirit of Relay Spotlight

Sonia's Story

In September of 2006 I received a call from my father. I checked the caller id before answering so I knew it was from a hospital, which filled me with apprehension. I will never forget my father's voice that night. He said, “Sonia, I need for you to be really brave.” He went on to say that he went to the hospital because he was having pain in his back. He had a chest x-ray that showed several masses on his lungs. My father smoked most of his life so the most likely cause was lung cancer. It took two biopsies, a CT scan, and a PET scan before the final diagnosis of non –small cell lung cancer was determined. Two weeks later I was diagnosed with follicular lymphoma. Both our cancers were incurable. My father's was stage IV and mine was stage III. He had an estimated 6-10 months to live.

Sonia

The next six months were unbelievable. Looking back I don't know how my family and I got through it. We took things one day at a time and when that was too much we got by moment by moment. I was in a unique position as a caregiver for a cancer patient while simultaneously I was a cancer patient myself. I went with my father and stepmother to his first chemo treatment and they went to mine.

My employer and co-workers were incredibly supportive during this time. I was able to take time off to go to all of my father's appointments as well as keep up with my own. My boss even offered to go with me to my first oncology appointment because my father was in the hospital in crisis and she was concerned that I would have to go alone while my family was with my father.

My father passed away in March of 2007. He lived long enough to see me earn by Associate's Degree, for which I am extremely grateful.

My family has been incredible through it all. I think that's particularly impressive considering that my father married my stepmother only ten years before. She had two grown children and my father had three. My sister and I remain close with my stepmother and her family. Since my brother passed away in 1999 and my mother in 1995, my sister and I are the only remaining members of our family of origin. We still have family though, our “step-family” and our father's younger sister. Now that my father's gone my aunt is the last remaining member of her family of origin.

My cancer has been in remission for nearly two years now, but will probably start growing again soon. Follicular lymphoma is a slow growing cancer but a persistent one. It's not a matter of “if” it will return; it's a matter of “when”. I probably have another ten years or so before it becomes terminal. A lot can happen it that time so I remain hopeful that new treatments will come along.

Whenever I feel overwhelmed and start wondering how I am going to deal with everything I ask myself one question:

“Where do you go to give up?”


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RELAY UNIVERSITY

Save the Date!

Eugene - October 17
at Lane Community College

Pocatello - October 24
at the Holiday Inn

Boise - November 7
at the Holiday Inn Boise

Portland - November 14
at the Red Lion Inn, Jantzen Beach

$1,000 Club

2009 Western Region
$1,000 CLUB MEMBERS:

Willie Lasater
$8814.00

Camas RFL (E. Clark County)

Karen Gannon
$3700.00

Coos Bay RFL

Rhonda Gardenheir
$3184.00

Brookings RFL

Debi Schrader-White
$3175.37

Vancouver RFL

MARILYN WONG
$3100.00

The Dalles RFL

Lauren Olander
$3011.00

Bend RFL

Grace Ann Luczek
$2800.00

Vancouver RFL

Joyce Gassett
$2531.50

Beaverton RFL

Vicki Merle
$2530.00

Blackfoot RFL

Cassie Collins
$2350.00

Twin Falls RFL

HEATHER KELLEY
$2295.00

Vancouver RFL

Kristin Sherwood
$2267.00

Portland RFL

Jeremy Hyatt
$2085.00

Portland RFL

Janet Olson
$2028.33

SE Portland RFL (Sellwood)

Wayne Paulsen
$1980.00

Hillsboro RFL

Stacy Scholz
$1970.00

Oregon City RFL

Marilyn Dryke
$1921.00

Vancouver RFL

Kay Graven
$1906.00

Polk County OR RFL

Valerie
$1900.00

Twin Falls RFL

Dawn Larsen
$1900.00

Blackfoot RFL

Barb Vistica
$1885.00

SE Portland RFL (Sellwood)

Kathy Bayha
$1850.00

Canby RFL

Cherie Oakland
$1850.00

Boise Event (Relay)

Jim Washburn
$1850.00

Portland RFL

Stephen Zoeller
$1845.00

Hillsboro RFL

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