
It’s a feud that goes back to the dawn of man--or at least to the old country of Ireland. Two clans of Kanes have carried on a rivalry that will once again surface at the Sting Cancer walk this Saturday at the Denmark High School track.
The Sting Cancer fundraising trophy, now in the possession of the Kane Realty group, will be up for grabs at the annual event benefitting local families dealing with cancer. The other Kane Clan, headed by Kelly and Tammy Kane, have thrown down the gauntlet, and plan to capture the prize.
Both sides of the long standing feud agree that it is for a good cause.
So far, sixteen teams, totaling nearly 300 people have registered for the walk, and event organizer Karen Bloom says that represents nearly twice the number of participants as last year. Last year’s walk generated roughly $8,000, which has been and continues to be used entirely for the benefit of local people.
One of the people who benefitted from the efforts of the Sting Cancer group is Diane Schleis. Schleis was diagnosed in June of last year with ovarian cancer, and subsequently underwent surgery to remove a tumor in her abdomen. The tumor turned out to be cancerous, and Schleis then endured nearly six months of chemotherapy.
On December first of last year, Diane was pronounced cancer free, and she returned to work a month later. Diane will be the guest speaker at the Sting Cancer Walk this year. Not only will she describe her ordeal, but she will convey firsthand how the efforts of the students, faculty and staff, and the community helped her overcome cancer.
Not one to rest on her laurels, Diane Schleis is bringing a team of nearly thirty—called the butterflies—to help raise money at the walk. Whether Schleis and her group can enter the fray with the Kanes remains to be seen.
The Sting Cancer Walk will start with registration at 8am, (Sting Cancer encourages anyone interested to show up and register the day of the walk) followed by Schleis’ presentation and then the walk itself.
WBAY Action 2 News anchor Bill Jartz will be on hand to emcee the event, which includes free food, including brats donated by Salm Partners, a silent auction full of goodies from local people and businesses, a 50-50 raffle, a petting zoo put on by the Demark FFA, and hopefully plenty of camaraderie and sunshine.
Bloom says this year’s Sting Cancer Walk represents the hard work of her students, who have truly championed the cause of organizing a successful event. One of her students, whose sister was diagnosed with cancer, designed this year’s Sting Cancer t-shirt, in a lovely shade of lime green.
Whether you are a Kane, a butterfly, a friend or relative of someone with cancer, or just someone who cares, come out and support a truly worthwhile cause.