As a way to honor cancer survivors and their caregivers, the Newton County Relay For Life Cancer Survivor’s Dinner was held Friday night at the United Methodist Christian Life Center.
More than 130 cancer survivors and their caregivers showed up to the event, one week prior to the Relay For Life event. One of those in attendance was Barbara Lupini, Neosho.
“I had colon cancer and now I am a survivor for one year,” Barbara said. “I had no symptoms, no pain, no weight loss, I had two dark stools for two days and the third day, I bled. So I got right in for a colonoscopy and that is when they found it. It was toward the middle of March last year when they found it. I had surgery within about 20 days and they got it out. I was very lucky; mine had not gone through the wall. So there was no chemo or no radiation (treatment).”
Barbara said doctors removed eight inches between her large and small intestines.
“Now, I feel wonderful,” she said. “I go every three months and they take a blood test…to see if there are any cancer cells.”
Shortly after the cancer was taken out, she participated last year in both the survivor’s dinner and the Relay For Life. She applauds the Relay For Life and its participants.
“I am glad that they are promoting all types of cancer, instead of just breast cancer awareness, it has to be all cancers,” Barbara said. “There are many other different types of cancers.”
Aside from the doctors, she had another person that took care of her: Bob, her husband.
“He did a lot of chores, we have animals at home, fixed the meals and he is very good,” Barbara said.
Bob added that when they heard that his wife had cancer, he was afraid.
“You are scared, of course, not knowing how bad it is. Of course, we knew where it was right away,” Bob said.
On the other side of the room was Dick and Judy Day, Neosho. Dick, too, had colon cancer and now he is a cancer survivor.
“I had a colonoscopy and they found this little, little growth. I went in the next day and they took it out. I did not have to have any chemo or radiation,” Dick said. “I had nothing (symptoms) whatsoever. Just my family doctor told me, ‘You are old (he was 70 at the time in 2002) enough and you have not had a colonoscopy, you are going to have one.’ He lined it up and went in without any dream of any kind of problem.”
Dick’s cancer was caught early and three or four colonoscopies since then, “it is all clear.”
Since then, he has told others about getting tested.
“I told all of my friends, church, other places, to go have a colonoscopy, absolutely do it,” he said. “I am perfect now, no reoccurrence. I have to go back every three years.”
For the last few years, Dick has participated in the Relay For Life. Starting off each Relay, participants recognize and honor cancer survivors. Survivors then take the first lap around the track, as others in the stands and along the track cheer them on.
For those who work on Relay For Life, he said, it gets bigger and better.
“They raise more money and more awareness both, it is a great, great effort that they make,” he said.
The Newton County Relay For Life has been held for more than 10 years. It will be held again this year from 7 p.m. Friday and end at 7 a.m. Saturday at Neosho High School’s Bob Anderson Stadium.
Relay For Life began nationally in 1984, when one person raised $27,000 for the cause to defeat cancer. Today, Relays are held nationwide and last for 12 hours.
Neosho, Mo. —
