People defy rain to rally against cancer

Cancer never sleeps, and participants in this year's Relay For Life walked late into the night Friday in Chinook despite the rain to raise awareness and funds for cancer patients.

"All of us who had cancer, we are survivors, we did not let it beat us down and we are the lucky ones and the strong ones," keynote speaker John Hebbelman said. "Relay For Life, like we are doing tonight, is one of the groups that help find cures and help patients with wigs, transportation and housing."

After a year of planning, The Relay For Life of North Central Montana Committee, made up of volunteer community members from both Havre and Chinook, held the Relay for Life event at Hoon Field, the Chinook High School football field.

Relay For Life is the signature fundraiser for the American Cancer Society and is staffed and coordinated by volunteers in thousands of communities in 27 countries.

The Relay For Life of North Central Montana Committee formed after an unexpected cancellation of the relay last year. Many community members from Havre and Chinook wanted to bring the event back to the Hi-Line.

"No matter what, you have to be strong, don't give up, think positive and be positive, be determined," Hebbelman said.

He said that the relay is an important event, raising money for patients who are in need. He added that for many patients, insurance covers the cost of the appointments and treatments, but not the additional cost of housing, wigs and other things patients and their families need. That is what the Relay For Life raises funds for.

After he was diagnosed with cancer and started treatment, he said, he was able to get free housing for a month through the Hope Project at a Phoenix clinic. But patients first need to be aware of what is available to them and second need to ask for help.

"Don't be afraid to ask," he said.

He added that he was happy to be there at the relay.

"A lot of people haven't made it as far as we have," he said. 

He has had multiple friends who died shortly after being diagnosed with cancer, Hebbelman said. A friend of his was diagnosed with brain cancer and died two years later. Another died two years after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and his aunt, who was diagnosed with throat cancer - same as he was - died a year after first being diagnosed.

It has been eight years since he was initially diagnosed, he said, and he is thankful every time he goes in for a check up to hear he is cancer-free.

"You folks are survivors, whether its family members, friends or yourself," he said. "... Remember cancer never sleeps."

Amy Bell, a committee member from Chinook, said that the walk is not just for people in Havre and Chinook but for everyone in the region.

Eleanor Heydon of Joplin was at the event with her daughter Joni Marreel of Great Falls, her granddaughter Kiari Marreel and daughter-in-law Robin Carroll of Havre. Heydon said that she has been walking in the relay for a number of years, even before she was first diagnosed with cancer. She has been diagnosed twice, the first time with lung cancer and then nine years later with breast cancer, she said. 

"I walk it for my friends and myself," she said.

Marreel and Carroll both added that they were there to support their mother. Marreel added that this year was the first year her daughter Kiari Marreel was participating in the relay - she pushed her in a stroller for the walk. 

Heydon said she walks in the relay to show people that people in the community support each other and to send the message that everyone is pulling for each other. She added that her favorite part of the night is the luminary ceremony, but she also finds it a little sad to see that so many people are being honored or memorialized during the event.

Bell said that she enjoys the relay because she gets to see so many people, from all around, whom she hasn't seen since the last relay.

"You're not the only one going through it," she said, adding that the relay provides support from other survivors, caretakers and community members.

Bullhook Community Health Center Chief Executive Officer Kyndra Hall, who was also the master of ceremonies at the event, said cancer has greatly affected her life. Her cousin recently was diagnosed with skin cancer and another cousin died 23 days earlier from prostate cancer.

"I continue to walk each year to remember and honor those in my family that are still surviving," she said. "But also because I remember watching my grandpa, who was one of the people that I admired most in my life, fight the battle against cancer seven different times."

Cancer is a disease, but it can be limited to how it can affect people, she said. An anonymous author wrote that, it cannot cripple love, it cannot shatter hope, it cannot corrode faith, it cannot eat away peace, Hall said. It cannot destroy confidence, it cannot kill friendships, it cannot shut out memories, it cannot silence courage. It cannot invade the soul, it cannot reduce eternal life, it cannot quench the spirit and it cannot lessen the power of the Resurrection.

"Remember that the Relay For Life was started as an overnight celebration of hope," she added.

Committee member Donna Tilleman said she wanted to thank everyone who donated to the relay, whether it was food, money or time. She added that the relay raised a little more than $19,000.

"It feels great," she said. "All the help was tremendous."

Cancer is the second-leading cause of death globally, and in 2018, was responsible for about 9.6 million deaths. Globally, about 1 in 6 deaths are due to cancer, the World Health Organization website says.

The American Cancer Society Facts and Figures for 2019 says that in Montana an estimated 5,920 new cancer cases will be diagnosed this year.

All the money raised through the local Relay For Life event stays in Montana, assisting with cancer research, sponsoring education and prevention programs and helping cancer patients and their families with travel and other expenses.