When Lake Orion resident Sue Welch succeeded in beating breast cancer three years ago, no one would ever imagine she would have yet another battle at her door step.
This time, it was non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Lymphomas, according to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s website, result when a white blood cell called a lymphocyte ‘undergoes a change and begins to multiply, eventually crowding out healthy cells and creating tumors that enlarge the lymph nodes or other parts of the immune system.?
So far, the 1979 graduate of Oxford High School has had one lymph node removed and is going through chemotherapy sessions every two weeks for the next six months.
‘It’s a very curable cancer, but it’s very time consuming and costly,? said Welch’s sister and Lakeville resident Shari Crowell.
Together with the Oxford American Legion Post 108, Crowell is planning a fund-raiser for her sister on Saturday, Nov. 17, at the legion from 5 p.m.- 1 a.m.
The fund-raiser will include a dinner, auction, D.J., dancing and a cash bar. All proceeds will go toward helping Welch pay for her medical bills.
Although she still works part-time at the legion and for Auger Stephens & Associates Architects in Lake Orion, where she receives insurance, it’s still a hardship for Welch.
Welch tries to stay active in the community, like being a committee member of the Orion Art Center.
Crowell calls her sister a ‘small-town? girl who’s always doing stuff for other people.
‘She’s always been very active and a giving person,? she said. ‘It’s her turn now.?
Crowell said she knows the communities of Oxford and Lake Orion are always generous when showing their support for residents in need. ‘Everybody’s a giver to people they don’t even know, and this is someone a lot of people know,? she said.