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HOUGHTON — Ron Helman has survived prostate cancer for 15 years, and he said much of the credit for that survival should go to the doctors and nurses at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

Helman said he didn’t have a lot of time to think about the fact he had cancer.

“I only knew I had cancer 10 days before the surgery,” he said.

After the four-hour surgery Helman said doctors told him he wouldn’t need chemo or radiation therapy, but soon after the surgery, indicators in his blood showed the cancer may be returning so he did have to go through six weeks of chemotherapy at Marquette General Hospital.

Helman was waiting outside his team’s tent Saturday morning to take the survivors’ lap at the end of the American Cancer Society Relay For Life at the Houghton High School track as a participant on the Houghton Rotary Club team.

A member of the team since 1998, Helman said they almost always have at least one member on the track during the entire 24 hours of the event.

“We usually have 100 percent coverage,” he said.

Helman said the fact that the Relay For Life does so well raising money every year is an indicator of how generous people in the Copper Country are.

“I just think it’s a tremendous community effort,” he said. “It’s a very unique opportunity to help fund cancer research.”

Carl Fulsher, American Cancer Society community representative for the Upper Peninsula Area Service Center in Kingsford, said he agrees Copper Country people are generous.

Over the weekend, Fulsher said 38 relay teams took part with more than 600 walkers taking turns going around the track.

At the end of the event, which had as its theme, Tune Out Cancer, Fulsher said $140,000 was raised by the teams, but people have until Aug. 31 to add to that total, which means the $140,000 goal for this year’s Relay For Life should be surpassed.

“More always comes in,” he said.

Fulsher said the event in Houghton always raises more money than any other U.P. community.

“It’s just special here,” he said. “There just seems to be a tight-knit community.”

Fulsher said with the condition of the state and national economies, he was surprised so much money was raised for the Houghton event because in difficult economic periods, non-profit organizations usually see a decline in donations.

There are 10 other U.P. rallies, Fulsher said, including one each at Michigan Technological University and Northern Michigan University, and all of them are down in their donation totals.

After the Survivors’ Lap and just before the final lap with all remaining participants, Fulsher addressed the crowd to thank them for participating and for raising so much money in difficult times.

“You’re just one of the most amazing group of people you’ll ever see,” he said. “This is just mind boggling.”



Kurt Hauglie can be reached at khauglie@mininggazette.com

 

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