About the ChemCeed Foundation
Everyone has been affected by cancer. Whether it has been a family member, friend or a member of the community, we have all felt the effects of cancer. But each individual can make a difference. The ChemCeed Foundation believes we can stand in support of those who have been diagnosed with cancer. Together, our community can work together to spread awareness and fight back against cancer.
The ChemCeed Foundation is a charitable organization created by the ChemCeed staff to benefit cancer research, cancer support services and those currently battling cancer. Beneficiaries of our organization include The American Cancer Society, local cancer support services, as well as personal grants awarded to those battling cancer.
Our Event Calendar
The ChemCeed Foundation’s largest fundraising event of the year is our annual golf outing “Teeing off for a Cure”. The event is a 9-hole golf scramble that includes hole games, food, drinks, and prizes. If you are interested in registering or learning more about this event, please visit our Golf page.
Additional fundraising events such as brat stands, etc. will be announced throughout the year as they occur. Please follow our Facebook page for more timely information regarding our events.
Our Stories
This cause is very near and dear to the hearts of our staff members. Below are a few personal stories our staff has chosen to share regarding how their lives have been personally affected by cancer:
Rolly’s Story
Growing up I remember cancer affecting many people I knew or a family member of someone I knew. In high school I first started to shave my head (along with several other boys in my class) because another one of our classmates was diagnosed with cancer. It seemed every year people around me were being affected more and more but I hadn’t had any of my own family members be affected. I even remember my aunt, who is a physician, say that we really don’t have a family history of cancer. Then about 15 years ago my mother’s first cousin passed away from lung cancer (and she never smoked a day in her life). Then about 10 years ago one of my mom’s sister got esophageal cancer and gratefully she is in remission. Around 6 years ago another sister of my mother passed away from colon cancer. My mother’s brother had a kidney removed less than 2 years ago and now the cancer has spread. And last year lung cancer took my mother’s life. It seems like every day someone is telling me about their own experiences with their loved ones or themselves. There are too many stories, struggles and fights for people’s lives. I do not have any pictures to share because there are too many people affected. I support The ChemCeed Foundation only for my family, but in hopes that I will hear less stories about cancer and my family’s cancer stories stop growing. There are too many people that cancer affects but with our efforts with The ChemCeed Foundation and the American Cancer Society, I hope many lives and families will benefit with either help with caregiving, research for new treatments and new prevention research. One less cancer story, one more life saved, that all we can hope for.
Mel’s Story
Cancer. I’ve seen how it has affected people’s lives. Mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, sons and daughters, relatives and friends.. Having to say goodbye to their love ones too soon. Some of them will not see their children graduate from high school or get married. Some of them will never meet their grandchildren. Some of them lose their lives before their parents.
Between August 2016 and April 2017, our family lost 3 people, two of them to cancer. One of them is my cousin, Maria Raquel, who was diagnosed when she was in her mid-30s. She hadn’t been feeling well for a while, but when her family went to Florida and she couldn’t join them at Disney World, she knew that something was seriously wrong. She went to the doctor as soon as she got back to Minnesota. Diagnosis: Colorectal cancer. They operated right away, but it had already spread to her liver. However, her doctors were optimistic. She was strong, young and was a fighter. After weeks of treatment, her prognosis was looking better. However, after years of the cancer coming back to different parts of her body and years of suffering through the side effects of the different treatments, Raquel passed away on August 23, 2016 at 42 years old. She left behind a husband and three young children. My family and I spent the last month of her life with her in Minnesota. I saw the effect the years of Raquel’s suffering and finally her death had on her children. It broke my heart every time I heard Raquel teach them as many life lessons as she could or when I listened to her tell me her fears and her dreams for her children. She should’ve seen her kids graduate and get married. She should’ve met her future grandchildren. She shouldn’t have gone before her mom. She is one of the reasons I raise money for The ChemCeed Foundation.
Dana’s Story
When my mom was first diagnosed with breast cancer, our first reaction was fear. After all, our family had known a neighbor and good friend who passed away from breast cancer, but we also knew what a fighter my mom was. She went through the painful radiation treatments and lumpectomy and was thankfully declared cancer free. That was until she received the second diagnosis a year later, colorectal cancer. My mom again underwent surgery, followed by an aggressive chemotherapy regiment. The chemotherapy was brutal. It affected her memory during the time she was receiving the chemo, so she doesn’t really have much memory of attending my wedding. When she started experiencing tingling limbs caused by neuropathy, her doctors chose not to stop the chemo which in turn caused permanent loss of sensation in her fingertips and feet. Thankfully, she was able to again beat cancer and is still here with us today, but not without the pain of a permanent “tingling” sensation and the numbness caused by the neuropathy. The neuropathy makes her life challenging as it is difficult to walk across uneven surfaces or even hold things in your hands when you can’t feel your limbs. Our family is certainly no stranger to cancer. My father has been affected by skin cancer almost too many times to count. Thankfully his wonderful dermatologist has been able to catch it each time and remove the cancer before it spreads. He is currently healing again from another skin cancer removal. Wear your sunscreen! For my parents, and the many other friends I have whose lives have been affected by cancer, this is why The ChemCeed Foundation is so important to me.
Katrina’s Story
I don’t just have one story to tell, I have many. I lost my grandma (dad’s mom) at the age of 5. Being that young I didn’t know the whole story. I didn’t understand why God would take away someone I loved so dearly. You see, my memories of her were making sure I said my prayers before I went to sleep every night. She taught me to say prayers for the ones I loved so that God would watch over them. Growing up I began to understand the circle of life a little bit better. It didn’t make things easier. When I was in high school I lost my grandpa (mom’s dad) to prostate cancer. He was in British Columbia and I was in Minnesota. I didn’t get to be with him during his battle, but knowing him I knew he put up a good fight. Once again life wasn’t fair. I watched my mom lose her best friend to breast cancer. Leaving behind her four beautiful young children. My own daughter has experienced loss at a young age. Her great-grandmother and great aunt both lost their battles. These two very strong women fought a hard fight, but in the end cancer won. I myself have had two questionable looking moles removed from my back. Why does cancer always have to take our loved ones? Why can’t somebody figure out a way to cure this wicked disease? I relay because I have lost too many people to cancer. I have witnessed too many friends and families battle with the words “You have cancer.” It is important to me that we find a way to win the fight!
Vickie’s Story
My dad is one of the greatest people I know and finding out he had cancer was like a slap in the face. In the spring of 2016, we learned that my dad had a large tumor surrounding one of his kidneys. As terrifying as it sounded, the doctors were optimistic. They removed his kidney a month later and the cancer was gone! Living with one kidney was an adjustment but we were all just happy that the cancer was gone. In January of 2017, we found out my dad’s cancer returned. This time it originated in his bladder and spread to his remaining kidney. They also discovered a small tumor in his abdomen. This would not be as easy as the first time around. They started my dad on some aggressive chemo treatments. My dad took to the treatments well and maintained a positive attitude, however, the chemo took a toll on him. In August of 2017, we received the news we had all prayed for. The cancer was gone and my dad was officially in remission! We were so relieved for this, however, the treatments had some lasting effects on my dad. He was weaker and was losing a lot of weight. In November of 2017, we learned that his cancer had returned. This was devastating. He didn’t deserve this. Hasn’t he fought enough? The doctors were not as optimistic this time around. The previous chemo treatments weakened my dad’s remaining kidney so chemo was not an option. The doctors decided that immunotherapy would be the way to go this time. The therapy kept his cancer from getting worse but it continued to weaken his kidney. My dad is now in stage five kidney failure. A few short weeks ago, the doctors made the decision to halt the treatments. They are now just making him as comfortable as they can. My dad has only a short time left with us but we are cherishing every moment. My dad spent the last few years fighting as hard as he could but there is no more fight left in him. This is the reason The ChemCeed Foundation is so important to me. Cancer is taking away a big piece of my heart. It’s time to fight back.
Alyssa’s Story
As a younger person you always think, “No that’s not going to happen to me” and that’s the mentality I had when it came to cancer. I never thought that my family or my friends would be affected by such a terrible thing, but they were. My grandfather, “Papa” was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in 2014 and true to his character, the only words he had for me were, “I’ll be fine”. Throughout his entire fight, Papa displayed the strength and kindness that I had grown up seeing. He made a promise that he would see me graduate college and my little cousin graduate high school and he did! He eventually made the decision to stop treatment and live out his final days happy watching all his favorite tv shows and spending time with his family and his dogs. He passed away on September 17th ,2017. Words cannot describe the kind of man that Papa was. He was the most generous, kind-hearted, loving man that I have ever known and he meant the world to me.
Unfortunately, Papa’s story and journey was not the only way that cancer has come into my life. In February 2015, I got the chance of a lifetime to work at Disney World. Little did I know that I would meet one of the best friends anyone could ask for, Kelly. I only got to spend a few weeks with her in Florida, but we became inseparable and then even when she had to return to New Jersey and I eventually returned to Wisconsin, we remained best friends. It was in September 2015 that Kelly called to tell me the simple pains that she had been having in her shoulder was lymphoma. We spent the rest of the night googling the survival rates and giving each other pep talks. Even from thousands of miles away, I made sure to stand by Kelly’s side in her fight. From the middle of the night hospital phone calls, to the endless care packages, to the hours spent planning Universal trips together, our friendship never wavered. After believing that she was in remission, doctors discovered the cancer had spread to her brain and Kelly passed away June 29th, 2016. Never in a million years would I think that I would have to attend the funeral of my best friend who was younger than I was. Even though I had only known her for a short time, she meant so much to me in so many ways.
Cancer can affect everyone and that is why the ChemCeed Foundation is so important to me and to the members of ChemCeed. Papa and Kelly deserve to be remembered. Every victim of cancer deserves to be remembered and the survivors deserve to be honored. We can do that by fighting to make a difference!
For More Information
Are you interested in learning more about the ChemCeed Foundation or how you can help or be helped by the foundation? Please contact us with any questions.
By Mail:
The ChemCeed Foundation
1720 Prosperity Court
Chippewa Falls, WI 54729
By Phone: 715-726-2300
By Email: chemceedfoundation@gmail.com