Thursday, July 21, 2011 9:26 am

Lynn Ross, Program Director for Breakfast. Rutherford Regional Health System

   For sure, everyone in Rutherford County, without exception, has been touched by or have had to deal with the dreaded disease, cancer.  Family, friends, neighbors and coworkers have shared those times or experiences with you. It is always about the heartaches cancer brings. For us, it is a ragging battle to survive. We seek hope and stay dedicated to winning the war. Our determination will eventually bring a cure. Meanwhile, we need help! That help is the constant Relay For Life Fund Raisers. So, mark this on your calendars and be sure to be there.

   Saturday, July 30, from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. there will be a Rutherford Regional Health System’s Relay For Life Fund Raiser. It will be held at Fatz Restaurant in Forest City. It’s a Pancake Breakfast which includes pancakes, maple syrup, sausage links, fruit cup, coffee, tea, milk or orange juice. Tickets are only $7.00 and all proceeds will go to Relay For Life for cancer research. It’s a great way to get together, have breakfast and do some good. You won’t want to miss this! You can also, if so desired, bring additional contributions to the breakfast to fight cancer.

   This is another outward expression of our caring community. Relay For Life brings together more than 2,000 people annually in Rutherford County. It offers everyone an opportunity to participate in this program. Remember, the tickets are only $7.00 and each ticket includes a child under 6 who can eat free. So that you are not left out, you need to buy your tickets now or very soon. You can do that by calling Coordinator for the event, Lynn Ross, at Rutherford Regional Hospital 828-286-5076 or you can also call Leah Bridges, 828-429-1245. After all, we all like a good breakfast, so pick up the phone and give the ladies a call.

   The Fatz commitment to the community program, which they inaugurated in 2009, deserves a major thanks. To give back to our county and neighbors is a major achievement for any business. It says a lot about the “company we keep and support”.

   One must realize how much good Rutherford Regional Health Care does. In North Carolina a projected 49,586 people were diagnosed with cancer in 2010. In the United States the figures is a whopping 1,529,560! Each year between 250 and 300 new patients are diagnosed and/or treated at Rutherford Medical Center for cancer. A breakdown of the 270 new patients in 2010 is: 122 males and 148 females. The leader in cancer is: for females, beast cancer followed by lung cancer; for males, lung cancer and prostate cancer.

   The Cancer Program at Rutherford Regional provides access to a full array of services for cancer patients. This specialized program has been accredited by the Commission on Cancer since 2001. In order to give the best care possible, there are now Patient Navigators who guide and help patients through the programs. They also assist families in all phases of the cancer program. This is even more reason for each of you to reach out, have breakfast at Fatz on July 30th and continue the support so needed to eliminate this horrible disease.

   Let’s have breakfast together on July 30th!  See you there!