Friends and family of Reina Ford have planned a benefit to support the Wessington Springs native as she continues her battle with breast cancer. The event is set for October 14, 2023 at the American Legion in Wessington Springs.
The benefit features a blind draw double dart tournament, bean bag tournament, free will donation lunch and supper, along with a silent and live auction. More details can be found in this week’s print and e-edition in the ad on PAGE THREE Ford, who will turn 51 on Friday, October 6, explained that she went to her annual mammogram appointment in June.
“I was six months overdue but had never had any health problems before,” she recalled. “After they did a biopsy they called me to come to the doctor’s office in person for the results. That’s when they told me I had cancer. I was scared, very scared.”
Diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer, Ford explained that this type of cancer is rare, aggressive and fast-growing. For this reason, her doctor’s moved quickly and within three weeks of her biopsy, she began chemo treatment July 10.
While she reported that chemo treatments were going well the first couple of months, a recent bout of pneumonia and a weeklong hospital stay has taken its toll.
“It was going good, I was having chemo every other week for five weeks,” she recalled. “I started doing it weekly, then ended up in the hospital for one week with pneumonia.”
Thankfully. Ford recovered from pneumonia but still struggles with exhaustion. She has nine more treatments of chemo then has to wait six weeks before having surgery with the goal of removing the cancer. After that she could possibly be a candidate for radiation.
“I’ve been fortunate I haven’t had too much nausea but I don’t have a lot of energy,” she said. “I’m so thankful for family and friends to organize this benefit to help out financially as I get through this. I have had amazing support from the community including people paying for my gas out of town to treatments ahead of time and a meal train set up by Amber Kolousek who is a cancer survivor.”
Event organizers which include Ford’s three sisters, husband, friends and community members said that the purpose of the benefit is to raise funds so that Ford’s financial burden can be eased so that she can focus on healing. Still working full time, Ford has to take time off work for treatments and when she is feeling unwell due to the chemo.
Organizers are billing the event as a time for fellowship and fun while helping out a fellow member of the community.