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ENLARGE
Former Fruita Mayor and former Mesa County teacher and coach Doug Hall is not only a survivor, but he’s battling bile duct cancer now. He’ll have surgery June 23.
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ENLARGE
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Wearing a purple T-shirt at the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life Friday meant you’re a cancer survivor. Damon Laffey was 2 1/2 when he was diagnosed with lymphoma. He’s now almost 6, finished with treatment, holding a token of hope given to survivors at the Relay and playing with his mom, Stacey Laffey. His future looks great, his mom reports.
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ENLARGE
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Walking for the Spirit of Life Christian Fellowship, the Strasser family supports ovarian cancer survivor Sarah Strasser, wearing purple. With her are her sister, Amber, and her parents, Michael and Kerrie.
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GRAND JUNCTION — Damon Laffey was 2 1/2 years old when he woke up cranky.
Not your typical 2-year-old cranky.
This was different because the pain came from deep inside the boy’s bones.
Plus, his face was chalky white.
His mother, Stacey Laffey, knew something was wrong, so she took him to the doctor, who diagnosed leukemia. The next day, the family prepared to take their precious son and grandson to receive chemotherapy.
Now, Damon’s almost 6, it’s been two months since his last treatment, and his prognosis is positive.
Stacey and her father, John Laffey, now count their blessings.
John Laffey knows what it means to be “worried sick,” he said.
Living with a son who has cancer has taught his daughter a different way to live.
“It makes me live in the moment,” she said. “I never take a moment for granted.”
Along with about 1,000 other cancer survivors, Damon sported a purple shirt for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life Friday night at Canyon View Park. The event is the largest fundraiser for the effort to find a cure for cancer.
Nearly everyone who attended the event has a story about cancer. They’re a survivor, or a friend or relative of a survivor. They know people who have lost the battle, like Jim Velchick, a relay member who died Friday morning. His team at the Spirit of Life Christian Fellowship donned purple armbands in his memory and walked with him in mind.
Not your typical 2-year-old cranky.
This was different because the pain came from deep inside the boy’s bones.
Plus, his face was chalky white.
His mother, Stacey Laffey, knew something was wrong, so she took him to the doctor, who diagnosed leukemia. The next day, the family prepared to take their precious son and grandson to receive chemotherapy.
Now, Damon’s almost 6, it’s been two months since his last treatment, and his prognosis is positive.
Stacey and her father, John Laffey, now count their blessings.
John Laffey knows what it means to be “worried sick,” he said.
Living with a son who has cancer has taught his daughter a different way to live.
“It makes me live in the moment,” she said. “I never take a moment for granted.”
Along with about 1,000 other cancer survivors, Damon sported a purple shirt for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life Friday night at Canyon View Park. The event is the largest fundraiser for the effort to find a cure for cancer.
Nearly everyone who attended the event has a story about cancer. They’re a survivor, or a friend or relative of a survivor. They know people who have lost the battle, like Jim Velchick, a relay member who died Friday morning. His team at the Spirit of Life Christian Fellowship donned purple armbands in his memory and walked with him in mind.
Strasser's experience
One of Velchick’s team members was 19-year-old Sarah Strasser, who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at age 14, the summer after her eighth-grade year.“I was just in shock,” said Strasser. “How could this be? I was just getting ready to start high school. I thought basketball was my life.
“It was like a dream, one of those scary nightmares,” she said.
After having one of her ovaries removed, Strasser underwent four months of chemotherapy her freshman year at Central High School.
The experience has given her the impetus to seek becoming a pediatric oncologist and treat children in Grand Junction. Her treatments took place in Denver.
The 28th of this month will mark five years since her diagnosis, when cancer patients are considered cured if they have no recurrence during that time.
Organizers hoped to raise $200,000 in the relay this year.
Reach Marija B. Vader at mvader@gjfreepress.com.
