2009: Area cancer survivors share their stories at Relay for Life
June 4, 2009
HARTINGTON – Cancer survivors were the stars in the Relay of life at the Community Complex last Saturday evening.
Over sixty cancer survivors made the first lap - their strength can inspire others to continue to fight.
Each of them has a unique story to tell. A husband and wife were among the survivors making the first lap - Bob and Mary Dickey.
Bob is just finishing up chemo treatments. He found a lump on his neck when he was shaving last fall. Not only did the lump not go away - like Bob thought it would - it became sensitive to the touch.
“The doctor gave me a strong dose of penicillin and the lump went away but it came back in two to three weeks,” Bob said.
Bob was sent to a cancer specialist who did a needle biopsy and he ended up at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha for further evaluation and treatment of cancer in his lymph nodes.
“I was told I should either go to Mayo or to Omaha,” said Bob. “I am a firm believer that early treatment is the key to success. I could get in at Omaha quicker so that is where I went.”
The doctor told Bob to buy two bottles of nausea pills when he started Chemo treatments.
“I never used the pills. I had no major side effects except food doesn’t taste good,” Bob said.
After the cancer went into remission the doctor recommended that Bob take two additional treatments to make sure they had got all of the cancer.
Bob knows he had some of the best medical care possible with his cancer treatments but he believes in more than the medical aspect.
“I am a firm believer in the power of prayer,” said Bob. “A lot of people were praying.”
Ten years ago Mary found out she had stage three breast cancer. Mary underwent surgery and had chemo treatments along with radiation.
“It will be ten years this fall – I have been in remission ever since,” Mary said. “Every year helps – once you have cancer you always have it on your mind.”
Bob and Mary both have family members who have had cancer. Mary has a brother and a sister who had cancer that was caught in the early stages.
Bob’s father, Ray Dickey passed away with colon cancer at 64 years of age.
His mother, Marguerite was treated for bladder cancer in 1980. “It came back on me this summer,” said Marguerite. “I didn’t expect to have it again. The last one was worse.”
She recently had surgery along with treatments. Marguerite, who is 93 years old, was at the 2009 Relay for L ife on Saturday evening.
“The Relay is awesome,” said Nancy Gadeken, Hartington, who has been a cancer survivor for almost two years.
Gadeken said she has been participating in Relay for Life for a lot of years.
Gadeken has several family members who are cancer survivors. She has two sisters who are five year survivors and her mother is a 24 year survivor while her dad, Lowell Burns is a 13 year survivor.