Each year leading a handful of those in the community going through a cancer journey themselves or with a loved one share their story. These are the people the efforts of Pink Arrow help in the community. They’re friends and neighbors. You may not even know how cancer has touched them. This series of stories are written by the person you will read about or by someone on their behalf. We thank them for sharing their story and the courage to battle cancer in some way.
If you are interested in volunteering for any upcoming Pink Arrow events please visit these sign-ups and claim a spot or two. Help sell shirts at Peptalk sign up here. To help at Community Day on August 17 sign up here. Volunteer to sell shirts on game day September 8 by signing up here. And if you’re interested in signing up to donate blood on Community Day select your spot here.
Photo courtesy of Heather Eveland and is used with permission. You can visit her photography website and Facebook page for more information.
The following is from Ann (Dimmick) Rife. She shares her story of how cancer took her husband and helped her move on.
Vance Dimmick, my husband, was diagnosed with renal cell cancer in 2005. The cancer had grown into his heart and he had the choice of a major double surgery, removing the right kidney and the cancer in his heart or being treated with the one and only chemotherapy that was available at that time which had devastating side effects. Both options could take his life. He opted for the surgery and we were blessed with the results. We had over two years of living cancer free, then it metastasized and he fought a courageous battle for the next seven years.
During those years of fighting the disease, Pink Arrow supported us. We spoke with counsellors at Gilda’s Club. Pink Arrow leadership supported us with care and financial stipends. The Pink Arrow event became a highlight in our year and Vance looked forward to that walk around the field. We felt so much support from this wonderful community.
When a husband of 51 years dies after a long, difficult battle with cancer, it is devastating. I had a sense of being very small. All buildings even the car seemed bigger. Half of me was missing. I couldn’t wish for him back. I wouldn’t want him to suffer one more day, but I didn’t know how I could ever live without him. My brain felt like mush. l was exhausted. Days were long and nights were longer. I share this for those of you who may be walking through this right now.
During the last year of Vance’s suffering we found out that one of our friends of fifty plus years, Judy Rife, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Her husband Carl and Vance went to seminary together. Carl stood up for Vance at our wedding. After seminary, we both served churches in Maryland, then our following assignments took us to different states. Our contacts were primarily through Christmas letters, but now with this news we began communicating often. Vance encouraged Judy in her fight with the disease and Carl supported us. Judy died October 20, 2014 a month before Vance.
When Vance died Carl called me. After a couple of phone calls, in the month of January Carl sent me three books to help with the loss and grief I was facing. One was Healing After Loss: Daily Meditations for Working Through Grief, by Martha W. Hickman. Another was a book on grief by Henri Nouwen. These were helpful but Tear Soup by Pat Schwiebert and Chuck DeKlyen topped the list. It is a remarkable writing that is a must read to help understand and navigate the grief journey.
We called each other more often in February and March and by April we decided we needed to see each other. Our relationship began with helping each other through the loneliness and grief, calling to say “hello” in the morning and “good night” in the evening, but it quickly grew into a desire to see each other and then to be together. At this time Carl was living in Pennsylvania and I was here in Lowell,.in March of 2016 we were married at Bethlehem United Methodist Church in Dallastown, Pennsylvania. Carl moved to Lowell after a life time of living in Pennsylvania and Maryland in the east.
We realize how blessed we have been by our marriages of 51 years and now by our marriage of one year and our shared lives. We hope we can help others through the Pink Arrow program to face their struggle with cancer and sometimes their loss. We share our encouragement and hope that you may find resources in God, your family, your friends to find a way to live again.
Ann Dimmick
Leave a Reply