When the opening ceremonies for this summer’s American Cancer Society MonDak Relay For Life kick off, hundreds of area men, women and youngsters will be taking to the track at the Richland County Fairgrounds, Sidney, to raise funds for the Society and awareness of the disease that will be diagnosed in more than 5,000 Montanans this year.
The MonDak Relay For Life is scheduled for July 27-28, 7 p.m.-7 a.m.
With this year’s Relay being the 10th Annual Event, the teams, volunteers, cancer survivors and sponsors will be striving to meet the event’s goal of $70,000.
According to April Boehler, MonDak Relay For Life co-chair, the question is often asked before and during the event, “Where does the money go?”
“That is a very valid question, especially in these difficult economic times,” says Boehler. “We all work hard for our money and we want to make sure it is being spent in the most sensible and beneficial way.”
She points out that since the American Cancer Society began its cancer research grant program in 1946, the organization has invested more than $3.4 billion in research nationwide. This included a $1.5 million grant for Montana State University researcher, Suzanne Christopher, PhD, MS, and funding for other researchers; 46 of whom later went on to win the Nobel Prize.
During fiscal years 2010 & 2011, 11 women in the county utilized the Society’s Reach to Recovery program, where newly diagnosed breast cancer patients receive counseling and support from women who have also been diagnosed with breast cancer and are at least one year out of treatment.
Richland County also has the Society’s Look Good … Feel Better classes available to area residents. Look Good … Feel Better is a program where newly diagnosed patients meet with volunteer cosmetologists in a confidential setting and learn how to cope with the side effects of their treatments, including dry skin, brittle nails and partial or total loss of hair.
Two area cancer patients received 29 nights of lodging through the American Cancer Society’s hotel lodging program, where they are given free or discounted rooms while out of town for their medical treatments.
We encourage patients to contact their local American Cancer Society office at 1-800-252-5470, where Sarah Rachac, Montana’s patient navigator, or Britin Cross, Eastern Montana’s Quality of Life Manager, can assist them in finding programs and services that are available.
General Information can also be obtained by going on the Society’s website at http://www.cancer.org or calling the national 24-hour hotline at 1-800-227-2345.
For more information about the MonDak Relay For Life event, contact April Boehler at 406-489-6918 or visit their website at http://www.mondakrelayforlife.org.
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