Article By: Cher Kohl
When you think of Friday the 13th, what comes to mind? Black cats? Scary movies? Don’t walk under ladders? Superstitions? Not this upcoming Friday the 13th! There is nothing scary happening in October, in fact there will be funds raised, people uplifted, lots of smiles & laughter going on at St. John’s U.C.C. church in Fullerton. The 2nd annual Chemo Bag Zumba-thon will be held there from 6:30-8:30 October 13th.
So, what is a Zumba-thon? And more importantly what is the Chemo Bag?
The Chemo Bag is a non-profit, growing organization that raises money to deliver gender neutral bags to first time Chemotherapy recipients. These bags contain various items, to help pass the time, while patients receive treatments. Lip balms for chapped lips, puzzle books to keep the boredom at bay, crocheted lap blankets for chilled bodies, hard candies or lemon drops for dry mouth, udder balm for dry skin. Chemotherapy has a tendency to dry out skin & lips & leaves a metallic taste in your mouth, kind of like dirty pennies.
The Chemo bag was started back in January of 2013, by Leah Wailia & her daughter Michele. It was her daughter who came up with the concept, while watching her mother go through Chemotherapy treatments. Leah was diagnosed with breast cancer April 20, 2012. One day, while her mother was preparing to get hooked up to treatment, Michele asked why there wasn’t anything available to patients to help make the time pass quicker, while sitting through hours of treatments. They brainstormed together & came up with a list of helpful items that would make treatments go quicker & be more bearable.
C-caring
H-helping
E-encouraging
M-motivating
O-others
Leah had been an active outdoors woman, before she was diagnosed. Since her diagnosis, she’s gone through 2 surgeries, 6 rounds of Chemotherapy, 33 Radiation therapies, & a year’s worth of Herceptin Infusions. Currently in remission, Leah has said “fear follows you through each day”. She has since made new friends & has a new-found love for life.
One of those friends is Patti Perl. Patti has had first time experience with the Chemo Bag, when her sister, Annie, was diagnosed with Colon cancer, back in June of 2013. Annie Brezina went through her first Chemotherapy treatment the summer of 2013. She was quite impressed with receiving this gift, and happy for the contents of her new bag.
While attending a fund-raising spaghetti dinner for Annie, her sister Patti met Leah & was equally impressed with what the Chemo Bag was accomplishing. Unfortunately, Annie’s cancer had spread thru-out her body and she lost her battle in March 2014. Patti had made a promise to Annie, to help continue with this organization that was so kind & generous to her sister.
The Chemo Bag has many monthly donors, some of which are, Josh Early candies, who supply mints, Montgomery Scott Janney, supplies the bags, Kramer Yarns, who donate yarn for crocheting & also hold crocheting parties expressly for the Chemo Bag, Southeastern Home & Health donates nail files.
The first bags were delivered spring of 2013. A handful of volunteers deliver the bags once a month to Infusion treatment centers thru-out the Lehigh Valley.
Leah & Patti organized the first Chemo Bag Zumba-thon October 2015, held appropriately during breast cancer awareness month.
So now you ask what is a Zumba-thon?
It’s 2 hours of calorie burning, hip shaking, sweat inducing, lively music that you just can’t stay still for. There are multiple Amazing Zumba instructors, of which Patti is one of them, non-stop music and numerous styles of dancing, some of which are, Salsa, Rhumba, Cumbia to Merengue, Cha-Cha, hip hop and more! Zumba is a worldwide fitness phenomenon and has been for the last 10 years. It can be found in churches, fire halls & gyms thru-out the world. When attending a Zumba-thon, you can expect to see a multitude of smiles, an abundance of sweaty bodies & a roomful of happy faces. Known as the “happy” drug, Zumba is an exhilarating workout, that lifts the spirit, while shedding pounds.
Zumba-thons are fundraisers for a variety of charities & great causes.
I have personally attended Z-thons for ALS, Mitochondrial disease, restoring the shore, breast cancer, and we even shook our hips for the Pitts (pit bulls).
Basket raffles, 50/50 drawings, and tee shirt sales will be available during this evening of fun.
Friday, October 13th from 6:30-8:30
St. John’s U. C. C. Church, Grape St., Fullerton
Donations of Chemo Bag items or basket raffle items are currently being accepted & collected.
To donate, go to thechemobag@Gmail.com
For contact information, go to their website at thechemobag.org
This event is open to the public. You don’t have to be a regular attendee of a class to participate in the event.
