The 7th Annual Breast Cancer Awareness Luncheon sprung up earlier than usual this year – or rather, it has now become a spring affair.
Normally held in the fall, organizer Dale Franklin moved the popular event to April 19, despite October being Breast Cancer Awareness month.
“We knew the change might result in lower numbers, but it was necessary because spring is a much less busy time for me,” Franklin admitted.
Normally, a capacity crowd of 150 ladies gather at the PMD arena to provide support for the cause, but this year’s numbers totalled just over a hundred.
Nevertheless, the auditorium was awash with bright pink, purple and red outfits as groups such as the Mapleton Mad Hatters, the Palmerston Shady Ladies and the Elmira Maple Syrup Tarts joined other caring women to partake in a delicious lunch and spend a bit of money for the chance to win raffle prizes.
Proceeds from this event are donated to the Listowel Breast Health Centre, as well as the Grand River Regional Cancer Centre. Also this year, 25% of the funds collected are being donated to the Sunflower Seeds Team.
The team was initiated by Amanda Newton to support her mother, Glynis Belec. After a 2008 diagnosis of ovarian cancer, Belec beat the odds by defeating the often fatal disease, and is now paying it forward by participating in the national Ovarian Cancer Walk of Hope later this year in Barrie. Belec and Newton are also hosting a fundraiser for their team though the Zeal for Teal craft show on Saturday April 28 at the PMD Arena (further details are available at zealforteal.blogspot.com).
A unique auction is held every year at the luncheon, and this year was no exception. Participants bid on the opportunity to select and name a one-of-a-kind day lily, bred and donated by Betty Fretz. The name is recorded with the American Day Lily Society, and is generally chosen to honour a loved one who has battled cancer. This year’s winning bidder chose to name her bloom in honour of local breast cancer survivor Henni Klaassen.
Following lunch, the ladies were treated to an energetic and often humourous account of Peg Bauman’s battle with a rare form of cancer known as Paget’s Disease of the breast. Bauman had the group in stitches as she described awkward and humiliating moments, such as having to lie upside down in a compromising position in an MRI tube with her hands above her head.
Beneath the humour, Bauman delivered a powerful message of hope, faith, inspiration and optimism. The youngest of 11 children, Bauman described her family as horse-and-buggy Mennonites who were not poor – they “just didn’t need stuff.”
Tested early in life, Bauman had to overcome polio as a child. “How we react to what happens to us is important,” she said. “We can’t change the past, but we can change the effect that the past has on us.”
In 2005, Bauman noticed an uncomfortable rash that wouldn’t go away. She put up with it for a few months until a friend advised her to get it checked out.
The doctor suggested it was eczema and an appointment with a dermatologist produced the same diagnosis. Bauman was still concerned and insisted on a biopsy, which resulted in a diagnosis of breast cancer in the early stages.
She describes receiving the phone call just as she was leaving for a funeral, but chose not to buy into the omen, and took strength from her faith.
“If life doesn’t turn out the way you want, you have to learn to adjust,” she advised.
On Aug. 18, 2005, Bauman underwent surgery, and by the 27th, she attended a nephew’s wedding, and then went on to speak at a woman’s club later in September.
Not one to be held back, perhaps Bauman’s most valuable advice concerned the importance of knowing one’s own body and insisting on the care one deserves.
Bauman’s glass-half-full attitude was summed up when she stated “you can lament that roses have thorns, or you can rejoice that thorns have roses.”
In recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness month, Franklin announced a raffle will be held on Oct. 27. The first prize is a large décor wall clock, second prize is a wall hanging quilted by the “Sew Whats”, and third prize is a baby afghan hand crafted by Barb Waite. Prizes can be viewed and tickets purchased at Blooming Dales in Drayton.
Franklin was also pleased to announce the annual luncheon has generated $20,000 over seven years. The 2013 luncheon is on April 11.
