Fundraiser founder is enthusiastic about giving back

“A year of hell.”

Two-time cancer survivor Gail Anderson, a 1995 NRHEG graduate who now lives near Blooming Prairie, remembers her doctor told her that was what she could expect beginning from the time she was diagnosed with breast cancer seven years ago at the age of 39.

She says the warning sticks with her and she persistently shares it with others because it was so completely accurate.

Her treatments for breast cancer spanned just over a year and included five months of chemotherapy and three surgeries. Though she continued working as much as possible, she remembers her life and her family’s routines were in nearly constant upheaval as she took four or so days to recover from each round of chemotherapy only to receive the next treatment on day seven. After about a year, she was declared cancer free. She mentions she knows it was truly a blessing, since, had she been diagnosed about eight years earlier with the same strain of cancer, it would have been regarded as “unsurvivable.”

“But it doesn’t end there,” she cautions. “Really, being a cancer survivor means you may be encountering complications caused by the treatments for the rest of your life.”

That was especially true in Anderson’s case.

About four years ago it was discovered she had lost a dreadful game of chance. Of those who received the “cocktail” of chemotherapy used against her type of cancer, she says, about one in every 500,000 will develop leukemia, a cancer of the blood.

Since blood is manufactured by bone marrow, the fluid which fills the hollow spaces in the body’s larger bones, she needed a bone marrow transplant. In yet another terrible coincidence, it meant her body’s immune system, which is trained to fight against “foreign” elements and would therefore jeopardize the transplant process, had to be completely shut down, right in the middle of the Covid pandemic.

Frightful as many elements of her experiences were though, Anderson chooses to focus on another side of the story.

“When you’re going through something that awful, when every day is a struggle, even small things can make a giant difference.”

Anderson is speaking of the “community support” program offered by the Blooming Prairie Cancer Group (BPCG), a fundraising entity based in Blooming Prairie which raises money to support cancer research, but also has a special fund set aside to help people whose family life and finances are affected by a cancer diagnosis.

An article in the Jan. 2 edition of the NRHEG Star Eagle shared information provided by Cheri Krejci, one of the group’s leaders. According to Krejci, BPCG gave $170,000 to support cancer research in 2024, and used more than $64,000 for direct personal aid.

Anderson remembers, “After a day of treatments and feeling so sick, it’s a tremendous relief not to worry about paying for parking.” One of the most common elements of the direct aid, according to Krecji, is a parking pass for the Mayo Clinic parking garage. Another common supplement are “gas cards,” intended to help with the ongoing expenses of driving to Rochester so frequently.

Anderson says her recollection of those thoughtful and compassionate gifts helps balance and even outweigh the darker sides of the journey.

Anderson says it is for the sake of that compassion that she and her husband Craig, who operates Water Be Gone Seamless Gutters in Blooming Prairie, decided they would like to find a way to give back to the BPCG. Like musician Todd Utpadel, who was featured in last week’s Star Eagle, they decided to designate any money they could raise toward the community support element of the BPCG system.

Also like Utpadel, they decided to incorporate their personal interests into their fundraising efforts.

“Coyotes ‘fur’ Cancer” has been held over the past seven years. At least when the weather cooperates, it is a two-part event.

Craig, an avid outdoorsman who hunts and traps, encourages fellow hunters to go out early tracking and hunting coyotes, a nuisance animal whose population in southern Minnesota is on the rise, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. At least during the early years of the fundraiser, the animals’ thick winter coats had their hides selling for as much as $30 each. With groups hunting in numerous places across several counties, income could be significant.

Since then, the value of hides has fallen. Also, because tracking the animals requires snow, the hunts have become less successful.

The other element of the fundraiser is a 6 p.m. community gathering at the Pizza Cellar in Blooming Prairie. The evening features a “soup feed” with a free-will offering accepted for a wide selection of soups, some of which come with side fixings.

As people enjoy their soup, they are encouraged to peruse a variety of silent auction items. A bit later on, a live auction brings dynamic excitement.

Anderson says the lively community atmosphere is a perfect complement to the community spirit of BPCG’s family support program. She mentions she and Craig see the events as a way to continue building personal connections, which also aligns with BPCG’s philosophy. “That’s at least as important to us as the money we help raise,” she observes.