Cancer fundraising ride rolling again in Idaho

Carol Reager watched as nurses gave care and comfort to her dying mother, who succumbed to brain cancer, 30 years ago. Though painful, the experience led Reager to her life’s calling: nursing. But she steered away from the field of oncology during most of her 25 years in the job.

That changed when she moved back to North Idaho from Seattle a few years ago and went to work at Kootenai Cancer Center in Coeur d’Alene. Reager said her life has been enriched by the patients she has met and the courage they’ve shown.

What she wasn’t prepared to see were familiar names on the charts of patients from the Silver Valley, where she grew up. “All of a sudden, I’m seeing my friends, neighbors and (former) teachers,” she said.

Reager, who lives in Post Falls, noticed also that patients were struggling to pay for travel expenses for their cancer treatments. Radiation can require daily travel for weeks at a time. So she began thinking how she could help those patients from her hometown.

The solution is the newly formed Shoshone County Cancer Support Corp., which is raising money to start a gas fund for patients driving to Coeur d’Alene for treatments.

The fledgling organization also wants to expand its support programs and one day have a storefront, said Reager, the group’s president.

“Maybe we can even start helping patients pay for staying at the Walden House,” she said, referring to a home where patients can stay while undergoing treatment at Kootenai Cancer Center.

On July 14, the Shoshone cancer support group will hold its first fundraiser, in memory of Dylan Dean, a boy remembered by many in the Silver Valley. Dylan died of bone cancer in 2003 at age 11. His cheerful demeanor and desire to help others inspired Silver Valley residents to hold a run and bike fundraiser from 2003 through 2005 to benefit the Kootenai Medical Center Foundation.

Reager, known by her patients as “the Silver Valley gal,” worked with fellow board members to resurrect the benefit and name it the Dylan Dean Generosity Bike Ride and Community Picnic. Participants will start at the Gene Day Park in Osburn, Idaho, and travel as far they wish before turning around to enjoy a picnic at the park.

Silver Valley residents are excited to see the event come back, said Nancy Clough, a Kootenai Cancer Center nurse and avid cyclist.

“This is the one thing that the Silver Valley did for the Silver Valley,” said Clough, noting that other cancer fundraisers, while worthwhile, do not keep the proceeds focused on local needs.

Cancer “is a serious financial drain on these folks,” Clough said. Medical co-pays and transportation costs are the biggest needs for patients from the Silver Valley, she added.

Donations for the fundraiser already are coming in, Reager said. “We already have $1,200 in the pot,” she said.

She’s also encouraged by Dylan’s example. “Every time I see Dylan’s photo, I know any work that this is, is worth every moment,” Reager said.

Fellow board member Debbie Hanan agrees. Since being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in July 2003, Hanan has become increasingly aware of the need for financial assistance for those undergoing cancer treatment, and she said she is determined to do what she can to help.

When Hanan was first diagnosed, she felt overwhelmed. She didn’t know what questions to ask or where to turn. In March 2004, Hanan’s family and friends held a fundraiser to assist her with medical bills and travel expenses.

“I was deeply touched by the generosity, love and prayers,” she said. “There are no words to describe how I admire the people of this community.”

Now cancer-free, Hanan is dedicated to making sure others do not have to carry the burden of a cancer diagnosis on their own.

“Because I know how important it is to get the treatment these people need, I want to make sure there is never a person who goes without treatment because they don’t have the money to get there,” she said.

Reager said she’s moved by cancer patients and survivors who have stepped forward to serve on the group’s board or donate to the fundraiser. She was especially touched when one of her patients, Jerry Streeter, presented her with a $500 check and recruited friends Rusty Sheppard and Matt James to give to the cause.

Streeter “exemplifies what people are like up in that area,” Reager said, and is one of many who make her grateful she went into oncology. “I am inspired by my patients.”