Families pull together to battle cancer

MAT-SU — Here in the Mat-Su we have so many reasons to be proud.

Among our shared reasons for pride are our many neighbors who are members of the military. Retired or active duty they continue to work hard on our behalf.

One such serviceman is Air Force Staff Sgt. Jeremy L. Jacobs, who recently returned to the Mat-Su Valley from duty in the Middle East. He serves with the 673rd Civil Engineering Squadron, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.

He was set to deploy with his platoon in early 2010 when his wife, Sarah, ended up with gall bladder trouble that snowballed into a diagnosis of stage four liver cancer.

Caring commanders delayed his deployment. But the young coupled had been married less than 10 years, was in their late 20s, had a 4-year-old son, James, and were new to the Valley.

They didn’t know where to turn or what to do, except fall to their knees and lean on their church family and friends.

Do they dare tell James? Was he too young to understand? What if a delayed deployment didn’t last?

As many Alaska veterans know, the Veterans Affairs medical system is not always well equipped to handle such situations. Back and forth to doctors and procedures. Answers, no answers. And more trips to Anchorage. Jeremy missed a deployment to help after the Haiti earthquake. After months of frustration on all sides, Sarah was sent to Seattle for procedures and surgery. Mat-Su neighbors, friends and family stepped in on a moment’s notice to help with rides, meals, airline miles and taking care of James.

Enter stage right, Dara (Underwood) Butcher. Dara is a bubbly bundle of energy in her early 30s. She is wife to Ray, mom to Alexis, then 13, Cody, then 11, Camden then 6, and Avrie, a mere 1 year old. Their family had long been involved in the Mat-Su community — from construction crews, her activity with Valley Performing Arts, MaHa’s youth hockey and more.

The Butcher family came alongside the Jacobs family — not just because that’s what Mat-Su neighbors do — but because they, too, knew a thing or two about cancer.

Dara was diagnosed with colon cancer in November 2009, and had half her colon removed. But due to early detection, she did not have to do chemotherapy.

The Butcher family knew the value of having Mat-Su community friends and a caring church family walking by their side during their cancer journey. So it seemed natural for the Butcher family to reach out now, to offer help to the Jacobs family. A bond was forged and these two families vowed to embrace their circumstances and to look for opportunities to bring good out of those tough times.

But just what that opportunity was remained to be seen until last fall when Church on the Rock’s Relay For Life team asked for a volunteer to chair its survivor’s committee. To Sarah volunteering to serve was a no-brainer. But experience had taught her she could not do it alone. So she asked Dara to help. Little did Sarah know this would be just the medicine she needed, as Jeremy got word he was going to the Middle East.

Sarah and Dara have an incredible passion to find and honor as many Mat-Su Valley survivors as they can. A survivor is anyone diagnosed with cancer from day one of diagnosis. A caregiver is any person who has given encouragement or help to someone who is battling or has battled cancer.

The Jacobs and Butcher families have worked hard to get the word out around the Valley that Relay For Life is June 8 to 9 at Wasilla High School. There will be more activities and options for survivors, caregivers, friends and families to be honored and involved.

Plus, you will get to see Jeremy, as he returned from deployment just in time to help with the last-minute details.

Jeremy is hoping that his Valley “military family” and other veterans will help him get the word out, too — by reminding all survivors to go to matsurelay.org, sign up as a survivor and walk the survivor lap at 7 p.m. and enjoy an incredible dinner with them afterward.

For more information, contact Sarah or Dara at matsusurvivors@gmail.net.

Care Tuk is an 11-time cancer patient and advocate for cancer survivors and caregivers.

What: Relay for Life, an annual fundraiser for the American Cancer Society

When: June 8-9

Where: On the track at Wasilla High School