Thursday, March 31st was also a special day. It was one of those events that was actually thrown together, but seemed as if had months and months of planning behind it. The idea was simple. The Dexter 7th and 8th grade Volleyball team would host Poplar Bluff. But this would be NO ordinary game night. A pink volleyball would be used, pink whistles would be blown by the referees, pink socks and headbands worn by the players, raising awareness and money for 18 FORE Life! These young ladies not only kicked a ton of butt on the courts, sweeping PB in both matches, but they gave a championship effort behind the scenes decorating the gym and asking the community for items to be used in a silent auction. All of the work went into raising $2100.00 for 18 FORE Life and showed everyone in the gym that night that more was taking place than just a volleyball game. This amount will allow us to send out two love offerings to families on behalf of these thoughtful girls. By the way, if you haven’t seen this group play ball, you are missing something special. Both groups are not only undefeated, but have yet to lose a set.

We wish to thank coaches Melissa Hahn and Kara Lummukka, the players, their parents and the entire community for getting behind this event. Next year, the Dig P!NK game will be held at the Bearcat Event Center and is sure to grow and grow!

Eric Boles is not only running in the Music City Half Marathon, he is raising money for 18 FORE Life by getting folks to sponsor his efforts. His goal was $1000.00. Eric just met that goal and presented Scott Kruse with a $1000.00 check.  The $1000.00 will be sent out in a love offering on Eric’s behalf to a family in need of help as they battle cancer. Thank you Eric and good luck!

In July 2010, Becky Dennington was diagnosed with breast cancer.  Becky started an online blog where she was able to have “therapy” from this life changing illness.  She named her blog….Deep Thoughts by Beck.  Her blog began as a way for Becky to process her thoughts and feelings of dealing with the stress of a cancer diagnosis. She soon found it was a wonderful way to keep family and friends updated on the progress of her treatments and in time, was blessed to see that it began to encourage women she knew to be more proactive in early detection. As word began to circulate about her wonderful ability to capture this journey, she gained followers and was beginning to inspire complete strangers who were beginning their diagnosis of cancer.  LazyDay Publishing in Reno Nevada came across Becky’s blog and wanted to turn her masterpiece into a book.

Becky lives in Bernie, MO where she married her best friend, Kelley.  They have two children together.  Becky is a nail technician and owns Tips to Toes in Bernie.  Becky is an 18 FORE Life love offering recipient.  Her book “Me and the Ugly C” will be launched Oct 1, 2011 just in time for Breast Cancer Awareness Month!  LazyDay Publishing has graciously offered to donate 100% of their profit to 18 FORE Life Charity.  We ask the 18 Fore Life family to support LazyDay Publishing authors as this act of kindness is just simply amazing!.  LazyDay Publishing launches eBooks through various websites such as Amazon, Barnes and Noble and All Romance/Omnilit

Please visit Becky’s blog at http://deepthoughtsbybeck.blogspot.com and on Twitter – @BeckyDennington

Also, please visit and give your support to LazyDay Publishing at http://lazydaypub.com and follow them on Twitter – @LazyDayPub

Using Twitter to Beat Cancer

In 2010, as 18FL moves into it’s 10th year of helping out local families in Southeast Missouri, we’re looking for ways to increase our gifts to those that need our help. Let us know if you have any ideas to help build more awareness of the Ben Kruse 18 FORE Life Foundation and to help make 2010 our biggest year yet.

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month, we would like for you to hear from a true hero.  Mrs. Cathey Daniels is a cancer survivor who lives life to the fullest and is passionate about helping others.  An Art Teacher at New Madrid County Central Middle School, she is a regular attendee at the annual Ben Kruse 18 FORE Life banquet.  Mrs. D, thank you for inspiring all of us to cherish each moment and continue working to help area families battle this dreaded disease.

By Cathey Daniels (neenapeena4@yahoo.com)

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Women across America are reminding daughters, sisters, and mothers to self-check and get a mammogram. There are no valid excuses to skip either one of these.

In October, 2003, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I had had seventeen years of mammograms and was very conscientious about self-exams. In 1975, a month after my daughter was born, I found a lump in my breast and had a biopsy and the lump removed. It was benign. Twenty-eight years later, that scar tissue was cancerous! Nothing unusual showed on the mammogram, but I had an inner instinct that knew that something was wrong. Perhaps the fact that I had lost my only brother to brain cancer only a month before made me more aware. Whatever the reason, I moved quickly, had cooperative, understanding, and knowledgeable doctors, and lots of people praying for me. After a radical mastectomy, I received 8 treatments of chemo. It was an awesome experience! I continued to teach, had no adverse reactions to the medicines, except for being very tired, and grew spiritually in ways that I cannot explain.

Today, I take no medication, and am cancer free! I still have blood work every 4 months, but that is a small price to pay for living. Cancer is a horrible word. Just hearing that you have it takes your breath away. But, research is moving at a fast pace, thanks to heightened awareness.

Of course, now it is my responsibility to try to encourage as many women (and men) with cancer as I can. And, I have two daughters and two granddaughters whom I want to save from this disease. I guess you would say that I’m “paying it backwards” instead of “forward”. In 2004, Dr. Salamat, his nurse, Kim Peters, Dr. Reintjes, and I started a “Breast Cancer Support Group” at Missouri Delta Medical Center. We now have approximately 70 on our mailing list and 15-20 who attend the meetings at the hospital on alternate months. If you know of anyone who needs encouragement, contact me, so that I may invite them to the meetings. In August, Kim Peters shared “The Lydia Project” with our group, and The Standard-Democrat covered the story. This grass-roots organization supplies a hand-made bag full of treats (a journal, lotion, pen, etc.) to any female cancer patient in the United States. Now, our Support Group is helping supply these to women in our area. For more information on this, contact Kim Peters at kpeters@missouridelta.com. In addition, I believe that Relay for Life is a worthwhile organization for raising funds for research. Without the breakthroughs in breast cancer research of the last twenty-five years, I would just be a statistic. Of course, 18 Fore Life is an excellent avenue to helping cancer patients. I applaud and support this organization for the tremendously unselfish way that they disperse the funds that they raise. Opening an envelope with an unexpected check in it, with no strings attached, brings encouragement, love, and knowledge of real concern to the recipient.

Cancer is a monster! But—through the efforts of individuals and organizations who strive to make life safer and more bearable and with the help of God-given knowledge, the monster will be destroyed!

If you or someone you know has an inspiring story of battling cancer or surviving cancer and would like to share it with us, please use our contact page to get in touch with us.