Kathi Kinney, Vikki Ratcliff, Megihann Leininger, Brooke Craft, Julie Teel and Lorna Klein were among the 175 who enjoyed the annual Cancer Care Fund of Kosciusko County Gala and Auction

A challenge was issued to the 175 guests attending Saturday evening’s Cancer Care Fund of Kosciusko County’s 2013 Gala and Auction to exceed last year’s amount raised. That total was $70,000.

While the total is still being tabulated, the amount of funds raised with just the live auction had reached approximately $20,000 with an additional $5,450 raised toward monthly expenses for patients. Other proceeds will be tabulated from the approximate 45 silent auction items, tributes and monetary donations.

“Color the Cure” was the theme of the gala held in the dining room of the Tippecanoe Country Club. Cathy Limina, a gala/auction committee member, explained the colors which decorated the room. “The colors you see in the dining room this evening represent the colors that most significantly have impacted the residents of Kosciusko County. White is for lung cancer, lime green is for lymphoma. Dark blue represents colon cancer, pink is for breast cancer and periwinkle represents stomach cancer,” stated Limina.

She noted the gala is just one of the number of events the volunteers work diligently to organize but it certainly is one of the most important. “I have been accused, many times, of being over competitive, and tonight I’m fine with that. I challenge you to help the families of our counties, to deal with this horrible disease by beating last year’s figures of $70,000.”

Dee Salmons, whose family has been a recipient of the Cancer Care Fund, shared her family’s story. Her husband, Steve, 45, died 10 months to the day of his diagnosis of stage 4 colorectal cancer. When he was diagnosed, she was told of the fund and how it could help. “I was amazed at the amount of help that would be afforded to us. When she told me they would be able to make our mortgage payment and our vehicle payment for 10 months, I remember crying. They were tears of relief. That burden was taken off the plate for us for at least 10 months.”

While her husband was in the hospital to control the pain, his employer laid him off work. While she was working, her income went to cover benefits with little left over. “At that moment we became a family of four living off $500 a month.” While she applied for Social Security benefits and was immediately approved, there was a five month waiting period. Steve died six days before the first check arrived.

“By the time he passed away … over $1.5 million had been billed to insurance to cover his care. One chemotherapy treatment alone ran about $65,000. There is no way my family could have survived without this fund. It changed everything for us,” she said.

Salmons stated she called a good friend immediately after her husband’s diagnosis. “You expect when the bottom falls out of life that friends and family to be there, to come running. What we did not expect was that an entire community would show up for us. That’s why this is so important.”

She also relayed finding a colon cancer forum and reading about a woman in another state, who could have been her, crying out for help. Their home was in foreclosure asking how others were fighting and what resources were available, as they were going down quickly. “I realized that the difference was, we were blessed living in Kosciusko County to call this place home and be surrounded by people who refused to just do nothing, while cancer ravaged their neighbors.”

Rebecca Spitler noted the financial challenges for many become overwhelming and the basic needs for life become difficult to afford. The fund has been in existence for almost 20 years, but many still don’t realize the fund exists to utilize for support. Last year, over $239,000 was paid out to 115 families to cover basic needs, such as mortgages, rent, food, utilities, prescriptions, insurance, hotels and car payments.

The gala is one of a number of events organized by volunteers to raise funds for CCF of Kosciusko County. Other events include Idol Nite, Cocktails for Cancer and the golf outing. The annual Steve Dodds Memorial Golf Outing will take place Monday at Tippecanoe Country Club with 55 teams slated to participate.