The Corydon Democrat

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

By James Goldman

The Harrison County Community Foundation is celebrating its 10th year of serving and giving in Harrison County, so many of its fund-holders and grant recipients are telling their story. This article helps explain how the Foundation's funding impacts many lives in Harrison County.

My story takes me back to March 1992 when my late wife, Betty, was first diagnosed with breast cancer.

Our family prided itself in standing together to rise above any problem we encountered. However, this new intruder would keep our family in a constant state of uncertainty and emotional turmoil. Periods of remission would be short-lived, then be followed by a new round of chemotherapy, experimental treatments, surgery, Gamma Knife radiology, and the list goes on.

During this time, the Relay for Life was started in Harrison County. Like others who had been stricken by this disease, we participated in this fund-raising event. Walking the oval running track as twilight faded gave us a sense of hope as we joined with others who shared our common bond.

Betty was the guest speaker at the Relay for Life in June of 2000. I still remember the hush that fell over the crowd as she told of her personal battle with cancer, and how it had changed her life. She talked of the deeper appreciation that she had for each day that God had given her on earth with family and friends. She also talked of the importance of research to combat this disease. She believed that the Relay for Life would play an important role in unlocking the secrets of how the disease developed and would lead to new cures and maybe even vaccines to prevent cancer.

A few weeks after Betty passed away, I was sitting at my computer to pass the evening away when I came across her typewritten speech which she had saved. As I read and reread the speech, I knew that I somehow had to come up with a way to help fund the research for a cure for cancer. It was then that I thought of starting an endowment through the Harrison County Community Foundation to help fund the Relay for Life in Betty's memory.

I attended this year's Relay for Life luminary ceremony and listened to the family members of the late Carl Uesseler tell their story of their valiant struggle with cancer. His daughters talked of being tested for the gene that passes the link for cancer from one generation to the other. This technology was not available just a few years ago. Prior to the Relay event, it was announced that a new vaccine had been approved which prevents a certain type of cervical cancer. We are winning the battle!

The Harrison County Community Foundation has made it possible for our family to be a more effective part of the ongoing research into a cure for cancer than we could ever have accomplished alone. I know that in the coming years, Betty's endowment will continue to fund cancer research, and people in our community will benefit from this ongoing legacy made possible through the Harrison County Community Foundation.

Editor's note: The Betty R. Goldman Memorial Relay For Life Fund contributes to the Harrison County Relay for Life held each June. This fund was established in 2002 by Betty Goldman's family and many friends.