By Marty Mayfield
KRTN Multi-Media
Raton Relay for Life Chair Elizabeth Tafoya told the crowd Saturday that she would be stepping down as team leader for the Colfax County Relay for Life to move up and take on overseeing or helping to organize relays in Arizona and New Mexico.
In her remarks Saturday she went on to tell the survivors who attended that they were not alone and that they would be there all the way. She also noted that there had been questions about where the money raised by the local teams went. Tafoya noted that they stay locally in the communities of Colfax County to help with travel and other expenses for cancer patients.
One thing that was noticeable at this year’s relay was the small crowd. Mercy Swanson who has been with the event since its inception noted that it has dwindled in numbers for a long time and that it was time to look at different ways to organize the event. Liz Tafoya noted that the new younger leadership for the event would strive to bring in new blood, to encourage younger participants and groups to become involved in the event such as the Young Marines who participated this year in a more extensive role than just presenting the colors as they have done in past years. They were joined by the Colfax County Fair Queens and Princess who also joined relay this year. She feels that they need to reach the younger survivors as well as different organizations to get involved such as the Raton Police Department who also joined the event as a team this year.
18-year old Tatiana Medina, a cancer survivor, who has recently moved to Raton sang a song about living with cancer. Another young survivor who attended is only 26. Raven Anderson, American Cancer Society staff partner, noted the demographics show that the number of individuals with cancer in Colfax County is about equal male to female and surprisingly runs a wide range of ages from 18 to over 80 as 82 year old Adelita Craig noted in her remarks that she is battling metastatic breast cancer.
Eric Armstrong in his remarks told the crowd that support is very important to the battle and that he is so thankful for the friends that were there during his battle with cancer. Gladly, but unfortunately, he returned that favor for Roy Pilmore who has survived throat cancer. Armstrong talked about a small dog that they rescued that will go to his mother who now lives in a senior living facility. The story was how Little Bit was lost and survived and was found 10 days later about five miles away from the Armstrong farm in Folsom. He went on to tell how giving is so important to the process and not expecting anything in return.
It has been an honor and a pleasure to be asked to be on the team leadership for Relay For Life of Colfax County. It has been a learning experience. I am touched at how many survivors were there and how each of their stories are unique. I plan to take over as Event lead for next year. I hope I can do it justice, after all there will never be anyone as good as Liz Tafoya. It will be hard to fill her shoes
I was the director of the MCMC Oncology Clinic, which existed for at least 26 years and I worked there almost 24 years. I was a speaker at the very first Relay for Life. I had hoped to be able to get gas vouchers and other help for my local patients. I was informed by the person in charge of the American Cancer Society that was not possible and that all money earned would be going to “research”. I was not even able to get wigs or breast prosthesis because I could not guarantee the “wig closet” I had prepared would be staffed and open 8 hours a day 5 days a week. The lady in charge was very rude. I asked my Oncologists who came initially from UNM, then in later years from Santa Fe. They said it was a very common issue. Once in a great while their social worker would be able to get a book of gas vouchers to hand to patients traveling for radiation or PET scans but very few and in very limited amounts. They were not surprised that I was told no, as to getting any money kept locally. Trinidad had similar experiences and some people there started their own foundation to raise money, with a local board to oversee it’s disbursement. Has this changed? There is no longer an Oncology Clinic in Raton.
American Cancer Society is a great organization with a strong mission. As far as I know, ACS does not give gas vouchers. Instead, they have a volunteer program called Road To Recovery. Volunteer drivers take cancer patients to and from appointments. Their lodging program consists of making reservations at participating hotels if a Hope Lodge is not available. When a Hope Lodge is available, cancer patients stay free of charge for as long as they need. The Look Good Feel Better Program is another program designed to help with the physical changes cancer and treatment brings. They have several other different programs for cancer patients. These programs are available to all cancer patients. A large chunk of fundraised money goes to these Programs. ACS also spends fundraised money on education, screening and awareness. Finally, yes – a large portion of fundraised money goes to research. Relay For Life is pretty open about fundraising going toward finding a cure. ACS has acknowledged that rural towns (like Raton) do not always get the benefit of their outreach programs. One example is that it is difficult to find Road To Recovery drivers since travel is several hundred miles instead of within the community itself. After discussions with local Relay volunteers who have brought up this issue, ACS began tracking assistance requested and provided to residents of Colfax Counry. While the numbers are increasing, it is still
not where we agree it should be. As a result, ACS has indicated a willingness to work with Raton to help address these issues in the hopes of alleviating some of the financial and physical strain on cancer patients who reside in Colfax County. I am happy to hear from you and would appreciate any help and input you have to offer. I am also sad to hear you had a negative experience with the ACS rep. If you choose to join this effort, I think you will find the ACS representatives who are assisting are helpful and compassionate.