A fundraiser to benefit a local young woman fighting cancer was held on July 7 at the Ponoka Legion.
‘Helping Hope’, which included supper and both silent and live auctions, included a meal, catered by Bob Ronnie Catering, and a dance with music by the Gustafson Duo.
The evening began with cocktails, followed by supper and the dance. About 160 people turned out to show their support, said Hope Trimble’s great aunt, Lorraine Gustafson, who coordinated the event.
“It turned out really nice - everybody I think had a good time,” explained Gustafson. “And they all came out to support Hope. It was basically a big friend and family affair - super support for her.”
Trimble, 26, is undergoing treatment for a second bout of cancer.
She has worked with Ponoka Family and Community Support Services since 2020, mainly caring for seniors with disabilities. “She loves her job. She’s very compassionate.”
It was back in 2015, when she was just 17, that Trimble was diagnosed with a carcinoid tumor in her left lung.
It was cancerous and her left lung was removed and she endured three months of chemotherapy.
Gustafson said Trimble was in remission for five years before she began to have health concerns this past March.
Several more tumors have been found, so Trimble is undergoing a new kind of treatment.
“The doctors are hoping that within three months, she will get used to the treatment,” explained Gustafson.
“They are doing everything in their power to try and eradicate these tumors - it’s a very rare kind of cancer,” she added. “It’s a lifelong battle until they can actually find a cure.
“In another month, she has to go for another scan to see if this treatment is helping,” she said, adding that Trimble got really sick with both chemotherapy and radiation during her first round of treatment so they are hoping to avoid that route at this point.
“She’s hoping that within three months, she can get back to her normal routine including going back to work, but we aren’t sure what is going to happen,” she said.
In the meantime, the fundraiser was held to help raise funds for Trimble, as being able to return to work is uncertain plus there are a number of expenses that she has while going through various courses of treatment.
“I was hoping we would make more last night, so now I need to look at other programs or other places where we might be able to get donations,” said Gustafson.
As to donations for the auctions, she did want to point out that the Toronto Bluejays sent her a signed baseball, which was a wonderful item to be able to include in the items up for bid.
Looking ahead, she said Trimble is also undergoing treatment for the sake of her younger siblings.
“She’s trying to be very positive. At the fundraiser, she was saying, ‘This is what the situation is, and we are going to battle it’. She’s going to fight her way through it, because she also has a brother and a sister who love her to bits.”
Gustafson said folks who would like to help to support Hope can e-transfer funds to hwillis420@gmail.com.
