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Title changes to 'survivor' for former Relay for Life organizer

Lead Summary
By
Mavis Fodness

Since 2007 Lisa Ehlers actively participated on the First Farmers & Merchants National Bank’s Relay for Life team, raising funds for cancer research.
For many of those years, she was the annual event’s organizer.
This year, however, Ehlers is sitting out, unsure if her own cancer treatments would leave her enough energy to complete the necessary event tasks.
Cancer wasn’t something the mother of two thought would affect her. Raising money to improve treatment was something she did for others, due to the honorary chairpersons who were asked to share their stories during the Relay for Life event.
“It’s kind of ironic,” Ehlers said last week. “I just always admired their stories. When they were asked to speak, they said they didn’t know what they were to say.”
The speakers typically talked about how cancer changed their normal life routines, about their symptoms, their support network and coping mechanisms that helped in the toughest days.
“After being around it (Rock County Relay for Life) and the many, many stories of people going through cancer, she now has her own story,” said her husband, Mark.
Lisa’s story started late last year when yearly mammogram results showed a shadow that required more investigation. With no history of cancer in her family, she was optimistic that nothing would be found.
In January her diagnosis was Stage 1 breast cancer.
Doctors outlined a course of chemotherapy, a lumpectomy, and a series of 30 radiation treatments. She just finished the 13th round.
Modern medicine allowed her to continue her usual life routine, including working daily at FF&M as a loan assistant.
She said side effects from treatments have been minimal.
“My experience wasn’t as disruptive,” Ehlers said.
“I also wasn’t so scared. With all the advances in cancer treatment, they (researchers) have come a long way. I’m appreciative of the community who’s given to the Relay to help with that treatment research.”
 
Rock County Relay is Friday, Aug. 27
This is the third year the Rock County Relay for Life will take place at Take 16 in Luverne and the first time the event is staged on a Friday night.
“We are making it as simple as possible,” said Relay chairman Faye Bremer. “We are a very small committee — a committee of three actually.”
The Relay will join Take 16’s Friday Night Block Party’s live bands and includes a box lunch fundraiser and kids’ activities beginning at 5:30 p.m.
At 7 p.m. the Bottoms Up Pink Ladies will make a presentation to Lisa Ehlers and her fight with cancer. The Pink Ladies will honor Dee Scott of Luverne at a later date. Scott is undergoing cancer treatments for the second time.
The Glow Run/Walk of a half mile begins at 8 p.m. followed by the one mile (8:20 p.m. start) and 3.1 mile (8:45 p.m.) to end the Relay for Life activities.
Registration for the run/walks can be completed at https://www. allsportcentral.com/EventInfo.cfm?EventID=79098.
Instead of luminaries, the committee is selling card stock ribbons in honor or in memory of loved ones. The ribbons will be strung on a rope and hung in the Take 16 patio area.
Bremer will remember her sister-in-law, Merecie Domagala, who died from cancer in 2017. “Merecie made me promise to keep (the Relay) running,” Bremer said.
Assisting Bremer with this year’s Relay are Cris Oeltjenbruns, Amy Chapa and Patti Olson. The group has a Facebook page, Relay For Life of Rock County.

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