SPONSORS
BLESSINGS The following are quotes from some of the cancer fighters who have been blessed by La Rena’s Race.
Thank you to our sponsors: Platinum Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Humboldt General Hospital In Memory of Brian “Jimmy” Green Norco Bengoa Eye Care Newmont Mining Company Marigold SSR Mining Company Gold Wolfsteller/Abrego Family Sage Petroleum Products Jeremy M. Keener, DDS Etcheverry’s Food Town Lander Hardware AB Beck Plumbing Silver AMS Enterprises, Buddy and Delphine Howard, Hunewill Construction Co., DeLong Construction Inc. rlittlefeet and Robert Padilla, Mertens’ Repair/ Mertens’ Parts Co., Simplot, Vera Smith Insurance, Next Level Fitness, Wells Fargo Bank/Battle Mountain, Lithium Nevada, Small Mine Development, Keystone Vet Hospital, Winger’s Roadhouse, Quinn River Mercantile, Lucas Land and Livestock, Western Title, Rick L. Grant, DMD, Gibson Dental, Walt Vetter, Tutu Toppers, Carquest Holland Auto Parets, Niki McQueary Helping Hands Aaron’s Furniture, Echeto Construction, OK Tire, Dale and Maryanna Enochson, LBJ Drilling, Tom and Marlene Brissenden, Dakota Diesel, Les Schwab Tires, Judy Gillihan and Family, Jen Anderson Signs, Lander Physical Therapy, Jim Dandy Productions, Scott Shady Court, D&B Supply, Zimmerman Vet, Danielita Kershner
f
Participants in the annual La Rena Smith Bengoa Run, Ride or Walk for the Cure usually get to the finish line in all sorts of ways, including running, walking and even “riding” the race course on bikes, horseback, in golf carts and in wagons. This year, virtual participants are asked to get to the “finish line” however they wish—even in the comfort of their own recliners at home with cell phone in hand.
‘Bengoa Run, Ride, Walk’ will take place virtually on May 9 Saturday, May 9, the 18th annual La Rena Smith Bengoa Run, Ride, or Walk for the Cure will take place as a virtual event. Organizers say the fundraiser has been affected by the coronavirus, but will not be canceled! The virtual event will begin at 10 a.m.; a prerace ceremony will take place before the race’s start on Facebook @larenasrace. Virtual participants can sign up on that page by selecting the link to Eventbrite. Participants also can request a bib to display in pictures; the bib has a place to put names and team names and also lists all donor businesses. If participants prefer, they may call (208) 484-0136 to sign up; checks can be mailed to La Rena's Race c/o Amorita Maher, PO Box 435, McDermitt, Nevada 89421. To participate in the virtual race, participants are invited to join with a few friends, or walk alone, and take lots of pictures to post to Facebook. Many people have already signed up to compete in a category listed on the site. These categories include: Most Athletic (for those who want to run 10 miles); I Spy (for those who are able to spy all items listed on the site); or, All Decked Out (for those who want to dress up by theme, on a whim, or simply in a bizarre costume). Unfortunately, participants will not receive a goodie bag or t-shirt this year as the group is trying to ensure funds will cover everyone who needs help during the coming year. However, La
1 — LaRena's Race, a May, 2020 publication of Nevada News Group
Rena’s Race may sell t-shirts later in the year as a fundraiser; more details will be available soon. The traditional queen-size quilt raffle is taking place. Tickets can be purchased from Betty Lawrence or Jeannie McRae at OK Tire. Those who wish to purchase tickets may send a check by mail and request tickets from La Rena's Race c/o OK Tire, 750 West Winnemucca Blvd., Winnemucca, Nevada 89445. Cost is $5 each or 5 tickets for $20. The two Mother's Day raffle items can be viewed on the group’s Facebook page. A beautiful picnic table built by Bruce Easterday and donated to the group by Bruce and his wife, Vickie, has an amazing sunflower design painted on the surface by talented artist, Maggie Foreman, owner of Juniper Creek Company, New Plymouth, Idaho. Additionally, Vickie Easterday has donated a picnic basket for two, to go with the table. All proceeds from the race, raffles, and auction go to help those in Humboldt and Lander counties who are undergoing cancer treatments. Over the past 18 years, the group has dispersed $365,000 to over 300 individuals through the generous donations of community members. The La Rena's Race team and the event itself is all about honor and hope, turning feelings of fear, sadness and frustration into an active way to fight cancer. It changes peoples lives and gives us all hope in the midst of difficult times. Applications for financial assistance are available by visiting larenasrace.org.
“Words cannot express my gratitude for your financial help and the emotional support your group and our community has shown me. I consider myself blessed to have such a compassionate organization and friends who have come forward when I need them. I am grateful and humbled by the organization that was formed in her (La Rena's) memory.” f “God bless you all and this wonderful cause. God gives the hardest battles to his toughest soldiers.”
f
“We were absolutely dumbfounded when my husband's doctor said he had cancer at 32 years old! [He] had surgery to remove his kidney, lymph nodes and adrenal gland. We live paycheck to paycheck most months, so your generous donation really relieved so much stress. We cannot thank you enough.”
f
“Thank you so very much for your donation; it made me breathe a lot easier, allowing me to pay my mortgage up so I can remain in my home.”
f
“Thank you for the money you sent…I was able to catch up on two months rent and get medications that I could not afford.”
f
“Thank you for the monetary contribution. I was very s p e e c h l e s s — w h i c h i s ve r y uncommon for me. What a terrific resource you are. The fight is real and I am so thankful that I have found really good doctors, nurses, and people like yourself to help.”
f
“I am very humbled and so very g ra t e f u l t o yo u a n d yo u r organization. The money you sent me is much needed for medications, doctoring, and living expenses.”
Immunotherapy drugs offering hope to many cancer patients
ABOUT US The La Rena Smith Bengoa Run, Ride or Walk for the Cure was formed in 2002. We are a nonprofit organization made up of all volunteers who work to provide assistance to residents of Humboldt and Lander counties who are fighting any type of cancer. Please join us as we run, ride or walk for the cure! Due to COVID-19 we are hosting a VIRTUAL race in 2020. Participate from anywhere at any time! Register through the virtual 2020 La Rena’s Eventbrite link or through Facebook @larenasrace.
CATEGORIES Racers can compete to win in one of three categories: #1 Most Athletic (most miles logged: runner will need to track run; two free apps that can help are MapMyRun or RunKeeper). #2 Decked Out (original ideas, decked outstrollers, costumes/outfits, pets etc.; runner will need to take video to submit). #3 Most Found I Spy Items (participants will need to capture a picture of their items if competing in this category). By Amorita Maher Immunotherapy drugs are offering hope to many cancer patients that have tried surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and other types of cancer treatment. Oftentimes, treatment, especially with chemotherapy, can make a patient extremely ill, and compromise their own immune system. Immunotherapy drugs work in a totally different way, using a person's own immune system to fight the disease. I have been following developments in immunotherapy treatment for some time, and was hopeful that my friend, Harold Chapin, could benefit from it. Unfortunately, he was tested and it was determined he was not a candidate that it would help. So, last fall when I caught up with my cousin's daughter, Michelle Alzola, whose husband, Jose Luis, was being treated with immunotherapy drugs, I was really encouraged, because much of what I read stated that it could be very successful. I would like to share Michelle's own thoughts and words with you, as a message of hope: “While my journey on this battle through cancer with my husband has been far away from Nevada in the Basque homeland, my roots are back in Idaho and Nevada where my parents met at the University of Nevada Reno. My mom grew up in Lovelock and my dad grew up around Mountain Home, Idaho; both were born to Basque immigrant families. We lost my dad to Leukemia when I was only 3 years old in 1967, when his defenses became so low that he succumbed to pneumonia. You have to think, with the advances that have been made fighting cancer, his situation today would have been completely manageable. “My mom forged ahead and we were lucky to grow up not really identifying ourselves as a single-parent family, with our extended family closely surrounding us. Shortly after retiring from a rewarding career as an elementary teacher, my mom was diagnosed with an advance stage glioblastoma. She underwent surgery at Oregon Health Sciences University Hospital in Portland, Oregon, and they used localized chemotherapy implants as well as radiation therapy, but the illness proved to be quite advanced and took her life just 7 months after her diagnosis. In our mom's case, by the time the symptoms became clear to the people around her, it was practically too late to benefit from treatments. I do believe that she was so strong and had such a high tolerance to pain that “toughing it out” was something that masked her underlying health problem, 2 — LaRena's Race, a May, 2020 publication of Nevada News Group
until it was too late in the game.” Michelle's husband, Jose Luis', disease began at age 55 with a diagnosis of lung cancer (never having been a smoker). It resulted in two surgeries, radiation treatment, and finally chemotherapy, which was completely debilitating, left him extremely anemic, and did not work. Michelle said, “He was placed on pembrolizumab, known in the US as Keytruda; they did not know if his body would respond to it, but he had been through several other treatment methods, so he qualified for this extremely expensive drug, and we have been incredibly fortunate it has drastically reduced his illness. I am sure that there are protocols involved in being approved for immunotherapy treatment since it is quite expensive (over $150,000 per year). He was placed on pembrolizumab mid -September of 2018 with the potential of staying on the drug for 24 months if the good results outweighed managing the side-effects. This has been the case since he began, and he has only skipped one treatment due to the advice of his medical team to keep him away from the hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic. “In his case, the medication is given via a short 20minute IV once every 21 days. His treatment should continue until this coming September 2020. “Jose Luis has experienced some discomfort, mostly with a stiffness or an achy feeling throughout the body, itchy skin, some swelling in his arms, hands and ankles, and fatigue, especially right after receiving each treatment, but he has been able to lead a fairly normal life while undergoing immunotherapy. It has been completely manageable compared to severe reactions he experienced with chemotherapy. “Jose Luis' oncologist explained that if he was responsive to immunotherapy, the goal would be to manage his illness more like a chronic disease, such as diabetes.” I found the last thing Michelle said to be especially powerful: “I have learned the importance of acting quickly and being very in-tune to your body. We can't fear bad news from doctors, but rather seek it and trust that it will lead us to better solutions. While we will always have uncertainties in life, we can't control when and how cancer appears, but we can move quickly and straightforward, getting all the information we can from the experts. My husband has taught our family that we are not victims of this illness, we are simply on a journey.”
I SPY The La Rena Smith Bengoa Run, Ride or Walk for the Cure is hoping to get some help with the "I Spy portion" of this year’s virtual race. We are asking individuals to decorate a window for the race and cancer awareness/support in general. You could place a past La Rena's race t-shirt on a stuffed animal or hang the shirt on your door or fence for those who walk, run or ride in your neighborhood to spy. You could make a poster encouraging others to participate, or blow up balloons and hang streamers around a cut-out of the logo. Please help us if you can! This will not only be fun, but it’s another way to bring our community together in the fight against cancer. For participants, watch for email “I Spy” list that will include items to spot while you “race.” Examples include something that inspired you, a pretty rock, wildlife and something pink. You can write down the item you spot or snap a picture of it to share with the group later.
EVENT BIBS Race bibs will be emailed to participants. Please print off and display while you race. We encourage participants to video or photograph themselves with this bib and post on their social media! See our example below.
REMEMBERING THOSE WE’VE LOST Tyler Coble “Tyler was the strongest person I've ever known. He faced his disease with a positive attitude until the end. He never wanted anyone to feel sorry for him or even be sad around him. All he wanted was a chance at life, to work hard to build a future with his beloved fiancé, Tayloure. Tyler was respectful, polite and considerate of others, as those who knew him can attest. He was sweet and charming but also ornery. He loved to tease and always had a twinkle in his eyes. He was my best friend and my first true love. I miss him more than I could ever express.” –By Christine Elordi, Tyler's Mother Harold Chapin “Harold was a man with very few words, but an affect that said exactly what he
Demand grows, events expand In 2019, as a way to supplement funds raised by our yearly cancer walk, we created a cookbook called The Taste of Hope: A Cancer Fighter's Cookbook. The recipes are from team members and their family and friends, near and far. To date, we have sold 350 copies of the binderstyle cookbook, and have about 50 copies left to sell before we reorder again. Lisa Scott and her Lowry High School Yearbook class designed an insert for our organization, and typed in about 100 more recipes. These inserts contain four memory pages of people we have lost to cancer. The insert is called “Cook more, eat more, live stronger!” It is hole-punched and ready to slip into the original cookbook binder. Members hope to add an insert every year, with additional recipes and memory pages. Cookbooks and inserts can be purchased at Wheezie's Kitchen Gadgets: Cookbooks, $20; inserts, $7.50. If you would like a loved-one remembered in the next insert, please contact Amorita Maher at (208) 484-0136.
wanted you to know. He was a quiet, kind perfectionist, but he never thought he was perfect. He was always seeking to learn new things and improve. He watched horse training series endlessly, regardless of having much more experience horseback than the trainers themselves. His smile and quiet sense of humor ensured everyone felt welcome and loved at his and Rita's home. Harold's passing is mourned by people of all walks of life and all ages. He said he never understood why when he was a young man only the old ladies loved him and as an old man only the young ladies did. I am pretty sure he was wrong on all accounts. Everyone who knew Harold felt they were special to him, and he was certainly special to all that knew him. The lessons he taught us and the example he set will live in the hearts of so many for the rest of their lives.
MIRACLE JAR CAMPAIGN Like so many things in this year of the coronavirus, the Miracle Jar campaign has been sluggish for a couple of months. Many of the businesses who keep Miracle Jars handy for people to donate, are closed. The casinos, who are gracious enough to do the counting for us, are closed, but the need continues. There are still 30 actual “Miracle Jars” distributed throughout Humboldt and Lander counties. So when businesses open up, take notice, and drop in some extra coins. Last year residents donated $1,358.50 in pocket change through the campaign. Even though we have experienced this lull in donations, we hope to match, or better that amount. Please keep a jar available at home. You can use something you have on hand, Jeannie McRae, at OK Tire. If your jar is full, Jeannie and start over. Remember, miracles begin with small, generous gestures.
Torogpick ethupera wjare from can creaplease te a deliver miratocle!
Picnic table, basket to be raffled There will be one item auctioned this year by way of virtual bid. It is a handmade picnic table donated by Bruce and Victoria Easterday from McDermitt, and designed by Maggie Foreman, a gifted artist and owner of Juniper Creek Company. The theme for this year's Mother's Day raffle was to be “Sunflowers”; since that raffle couldn't happen, the theme for this auction item will follow that theme. Included with the picnic table is an amazing picnic basket, also donated by Vickie Easterday. See our Facebook page @larenasrace to place your bid.
Auction angels to return in 2021 La Donna Peluaga (pictured at left) and Delphine Tinney (pictured at right) have been queens of the La Rena's Race Silent Auction that takes place every year at the Run, Ride, or Walk event. This year, however, the two will be on hiatus from the silent auction. It’s not that they don't have items collected, and all available spaces filled with amazing donations to their popular auction; it is just not the same unless buyers can see items up close, place their bid, and then watch throughout day as suspense builds, and competition flares. So for this year, the ladies will take it easy and come back next with more great items and boundless enthusiasm.
PLEASE . . . Eighteen years ago when we started The La Rena Smith Bengoa Run, Ride or Walk for the Cure, we couldn’t have conceived that we would have raised $365,000 for cancer fighters in Humboldt and Lander counties—but we also could not have conceived that our efforts would have the potential to be undermined by a virus. While that is our reality in 2020, we have faith in the same community that has come to our aid and the aid of those in need over the past nearly two decades. Join with us this year. While we can’t connect in person, we can through technology and, of course, in spirit! “See you” at this year’s race. LaRena's Race, a May, 2020 publication of Nevada News Group — 3
FIN
WW
THE RUN
Racing For A Cure!
Desert Disposal
Proud Supporter
Ride Walk Run FOR A CURE
Servicing Humboldt,Lander, Pershing, and Eureka Counties
Commercial/Residential Septic System Pumping Sani-Huts
Desert Disposal
Embroidery lity ore qua m ” ere eans h ame m “W an n a th
1050 Hanson Street, Winnemucca
775-623-5115 • 4062 West Winnemucca Blvd.
Proudly Supporting Our Community! Walter J. Vetter, AAMS Financial Advisor
1000 EDEN VALLEY RD., GOLCONDA, NV • 775-623-3526 • 1-800-PVC-PIPE
We run the race with you! Keep up the good fight!
Jordan Vetter Financial Advisor
0 % interest $500
OFF New equipment
RUN. RIDE. WALK. IN MEMORY OF JAMES BRIAN GREEN
and no payments for 12 months O.A.C.
FINANCING OPTIONS AVAILABLE. Expires 6/30/2020. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Must present coupon at time of service.
6 2 5 - 1 6 5 4
NV 24522 • CA 652354 • MHD-A0073
NV Lic# 0048016 For More Information, Visit Our Website: www.undergroundmining.com or call 775-635-8356
sierraair.com
4 — LaRena's Race, a May, 2020 publication of Nevada News Group L.race.bmtn.3X3.indd 1
4/17/20 1:05 PM
775.625.7763 • 15 Paradise Ave. • Winnemucca www.keener.dentist
together for the g n c di
ure
We’re here for you and available 24/7.
FAMILY DENTAL CARE
Monday - Thursday 8am - 5pm• Friday 7am-1pm Accepting New Patients
Ri
775-623-0933 185 Melarkey St., Winnemucca, NV Toll Free 1-877-623-6020 www.edwardjones.com