The 2021 Cancer Awareness Luncheon was a success. Thank you to our models, volunteers, attendees and all who donated to the Cathy Lincoln Memorial Cancer Fund.

Remembering Cathy Lincoln… At age 39, Cathy Lincoln was diagnosed with breast cancer. A devoted mom, loving wife, daughter, and a compassionate nurse - the disease hit her in the prime of her life when she least expected. She left behind two children, a husband, siblings and her parents. While she did everything possible to fight the disease, including surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, she had a very aggressive type of cancer and unfortunately died at the age of 42. A life-long San Juan County resident, she loved the Four Corners area. While she had the opportunity to travel to exotic and exciting places, such as Japan and Korea, she was most content in the Land of Enchantment. She especially enjoyed the simple things that life had to offer - camping, fishing and family life. Her family was very proud of her for going back to school to become a nurse in her mid 30's. As an RN on the medical floor, her co-workers respected her as both a friend and colleague. They described her as being compassionate, kind and gentle. Even after her diagnosis of breast cancer, she continued her work as a nurse until the disease forced her to quit. Continuing to provide the same quality care, support and compassion to her patients while quietly waging her own battle. Cathy believed strongly that early detection gave a person the best chance in beating any type of cancer. And as a nurse, she also felt strongly that cost should never be a deterrent in receiving health care. This is the concept behind the Cathy Lincoln Memorial Cancer Fund - that financial support be made available to uninsured or underinsured women in San Juan County for their cancer related health care needs.

Introducing Tammy Ramsey. Tammy was born in Las Cruces, NM, but grew up in Bloomfield. She’s been married for 24 years and has two step-children. She is a great lover of the outdoors, and her favorite hobbies include camping, nature photography, and growing flowers in her garden. In June of 2018, Tammy received the life-altering news that she had stage 1 melanoma. She was just 48 years old. She was diagnosed after finding a nickel-sized dark spot on her skin and experiencing some hair loss. She was sure it was nothing, so when her results came back, she was in shock. Tammy is lucky and has built a great support network around her. After her diagnosis, she was swarmed with love from her family, friends, co-workers, church community, and neighbors. Her doctors and medical team have also provided invaluable support. Tammy’s cancer treatment began with the initial spot being removed from her skin, along with the nearest lymph node. She had recurring satellite spots, which also needed to be removed periodically. She began immunotherapy and saw a physician in Houston. The doctor performed surgeries to remove more tissue and did reconstructive surgeries. Despite all this, though, the spots continued to appear on Tammy’s skin. After her surgeries, she had radiation therapy and then tried different immunotherapy, which gave her aseptic meningitis. She is now trying T-Vec injections and is seeing success with that treatment. Tammy has learned a lot throughout this winding ordeal. Her message to the community is not to wait if you see something suspicious on your skin or feel a lump. Get checked because the earlier doctors can detect cancer, the more time there is to deal with it, and the less drastic the outcome will likely be. Tammy draws the strength she needs to keep fighting from her relationship with God, from laughing often, and from not dwelling on the situation, and instead, staying positive. Tammy received funding through the Cathy Lincoln Memorial Cancer Fund, and for her, the extra funds were a significant relief. Having cancer is very expensive, and the funding helped with everything from medical bills, time off work, travel, prescriptions, and other supplies. Your support of the Cathy Lincoln Memorial Cancer Fund helps women receive financial assistance for medical exams, diagnostic testing, medication, treatments and travel. Please consider making a donation today:

Introducing Tracy Moskal. Tracy was born and raised in Farmington and grew up with two sisters and one brother. She is now married with two children, an 11-year-old son, and an 8-year-old daughter. She is a lover of nature, and all of her favorite activities involve being outdoors. In August of 2019, when Tracy was just 35 years old, she was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. She had found a lump a year before her diagnosis and had monitored it herself after her initial mammogram came back negative. The news devastated her, and she felt a lot of fear about what the future might hold. Tracy started chemotherapy in September of 2019, which she continued to undergo for six months. In February of 2020, she had surgery and then continued with immunotherapy infusions. If everything goes to plan, her therapy will be complete in November of 2020. Tracy has been very fortunate and has a great support network of family, friends, and community. Her husband and children have been her strength throughout this ordeal. Her friends and family have kept her smiling and laughing, which is the best way to fight this battle. Tracy has learned a lot through her ordeal. Her advice to the community is to grow through what you go through. Reach out for support when you need it, and when you're having a rough day, never give up and stay active as much as you can. Funding through the Cathy Lincoln Memorial Cancer Fund, which Tracy has applied for and received two years in a row, has helped Tracy pay her medical bills and stay afloat during this time. She says that she couldn't have done this without the help of the fund. Battling cancer requires enormous strength and resilience, which Tracy draws from her loving family and friends, and the support of her workplace, which allows her to stay connected to the community, and keeps her focused on the fight. Tracy also has a fantastic team of doctors who give her hope. She has found them to be invaluable throughout her treatment.  Your support of the Cathy Lincoln Memorial Cancer Fund helps women receive financial assistance for medical exams, diagnostic testing, medication, treatments and travel. Please consider making a donation today:

Introducing Sheilah Martinez. Sheilah was born in Durango, Colorado, and raised in Lumberton, New Mexico. She comes from a small family but married into a big extended family, so she has a lot of love in her life. Her favorite hobbies are fishing, camping, and visiting casinos. In May of 2019, Sheilah was diagnosed with stage IV squamous cell cancer, a form of cancer that forms on the skins or organs. Sheilah's specific type of cancer is vaginal cancer. She was diagnosed after finding a lump on her left side and was just 57 years old. When she first received the news, she was shocked, sad, and stressed, but she felt her community's support right away. Her family was wonderful, and one of her daughters is a nurse and cared for her mother during her hospital stays and at home. Her husband has also been an incredible supporter and has been her rock during this ordeal. Sheilah's treatment process became more problematic as it went on, and she struggled a lot, despite all the love and support coming from her community. She felt that all the prayers coming her way were exceptionally helpful. Her daughter took care of business when she wasn't there, which was a massive weight off her shoulders. For anyone going through a difficult diagnosis or treatment, Sheilah's message is to talk to somebody. Particularly, if you know someone who has been through the same or similar thing you are going through, you will find great comfort in speaking to that person. Sheilah even gave her personal phone number to share with anyone who needs a kind listening ear to help them through their journey: 515.759.1196 Sheilah is still fighting her battle. What helps her the most is having a relationship with God and receiving support and prayers from the people around her. Every medical department that helped her through radiation and chemotherapy has also been of great help. Her family and friends, old and new, give her the hope and support she needs to continue on her journey. Your support of the Cathy Lincoln Memorial Cancer Fund helps women receive financial assistance for medical exams, diagnostic testing, medication, treatments and travel. Please consider making a donation today:

Introducing Tammy Riser. Tammy was born in Abilene, Texas, to parents who were attending McMurry University. Once they graduated, the family moved to Farmington to be close to her mother's side of the family. Throughout Tammy’s childhood, they made a few more moves, shifting to Kayenta, AZ, Chinle, AZ, where she was educated for 13 years on the Navajo Reservation, then Farmington, where she completed her education. Tammy has been married to her husband, a retired United Methodist pastor, for 33 years. They raised three sons together, and Tammy has recently retired from a 25-year career as a teacher. Her family is very close. Even though all of her children are over 30 and live all over, they still talk every day. Tammy is a lover of the outdoors, and her favorite hobbies are yard work, gardening, reading, walking, jogging, and listening to nature. In May of 2019, when Tammy was 57, she was diagnosed with Stage III Breast Cancer on the left side. She had noticed a lump just after moving to Bloomfield, and since she did not yet have a primary care physician, she made an appointment with her sister's physician. She was initially shocked because this news came after a very stressful year for Tammy and her husband, who had been preparing for his retirement, moving, and Tammy finding a new job. Despite the hard news, Tammy has an incredible support network around her. She relied on her friends and family, as well as her church community. Notably, her sister was a great help, responding to the initial diagnosis with "alright, let's do this and get this over with!" Tammy's sister knew Tammy well and wanted to help her through the inevitability of losing her hair, which was always a big challenge for Tammy. Her sister made her an appointment at a fancy salon, brought pink champagne, and a crown for Tammy to wear. They laughed, cried, and made a difficult process into a fun day. Since then, the sisters have been in contact every day, and Tammy is extremely grateful for the help and support. Tammy began chemotherapy in July of 2019 and had a total of 15 rounds of chemo. She didn't know what to expect but started to feel side-effects pretty quickly. Her final four chemo treatments were the most difficult, but Tammy completed her treatments in December of 2019. She then began 33 rounds of radiation therapy. Tammy received the news in February of 2020 that her cancer was in remission.  Tammy's doctors gave her hope, and she found them invaluable throughout her treatment. They made her a road map, a direction that she needed to start traveling down. She also received funding from the Cathy Lincoln Memorial Cancer Fund, which helped her afford treatments, and transportation to and from treatments.

Introducing Judy Conaway. Judy was born in 1960 in Nebraska but moved around a lot as a child and teen, spending time in Wausau, Green Bay, and Farmington. In 1983, she married her husband Rick, who works for Enduring Resources, and soon after, they had two sons, who are now grown up and currently work as a physical therapist and a restraint manager. Judy enjoys visiting antique stores with her husband, crafts, and cross-stitching. In November of 2019, Judy discovered a lump on her neck and went to get checked right away because her sister was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma the previous spring. The outcome of that test was a stage IV adenocarcinoma of the lung diagnosis. When she first found out, Judy felt like a deer in the headlights and shocked, particularly that it was lung cancer, since she had never been a smoker. Despite the devastating news, Judy was swarmed with love. Her husband, two sons, friends, co-workers, and even people she hadn't heard from in years came together and supported her throughout her journey. People offered their prayers, food, and support. Even people who hadn't met Judy before but knew her husband or other members of her family called to check up on her and offer what they could. One of her most ardent supporters has been her dear friend Rosemarie, who works at the Cancer Center. With so many people reaching out and sharing their experiences with cancer, Judy has learned a lot about what to expect. Knowing what to expect helped her feel informed and not alone in this whole process. Every person and every treatment is different, but realizing that others have been through similar ordeals has significantly been comforting. Judy also experienced some friends and family backing away after her diagnosis. Her advice is to give people grace and patience and trust that they will offer their love and support when they have the strength to do that. As well as her friends and family, Judy also drew great hope and strength from her doctors and nurses' team at the Cancer Center and Rosemarie and the other staff. Initially, Judy didn't think of applying for funding through the Cathy Lincoln Memorial Cancer fund, but once Rosemarie offered it, she embraced it as a welcome gift. Judy saw it as a bright spot among so much darkness. Your support of the Cathy Lincoln Memorial Cancer Fund helps women receive financial assistance for medical exams, diagnostic testing, medication, treatments and travel. Please donate to the Cathy Lincoln Memorial Cancer Fund today .

Introducing Rebecca Griego.

Introducing Aimée Hegar Aimée was born in Montana, but moved to Texas soon afterward. Her family spent time all over the state, but she remembers spending more of her childhood in Giddings and College Station, Texas. Aimée comes from a big, loving family, even though they no longer live close to one another. She is a creative spirit who spends her free time painting and playing guitar. Aimée learned she had stage 3 breast cancer in July of 2020, when she was just 50. She noticed the lump in her breast right at the start of COVID-19, but she decided to wait to get checked because of the circumstances, a decision she now regrets immensely. Waiting often means missing the window of early detection and can increase many of the risks that a cancer diagnosis brings. When her diagnosis came, she was shocked, since breast cancer does not run in Aimée’s family, but her shock eventually gave way to fear and confusion. She did not know what the future would hold and how she would get through this. Aimée is very lucky and has built an excellent support network around her. The outpouring of love and support from friends and family was overwhelming, and Aimée didn’t realize just how many people cared about her until her diagnosis. She has people to rely on, but she still has to face the scary reality of cancer on her own. The next step for Aimée is chemo. She will undergo ten rounds of chemo, then surgery. She may then have to undergo radiation and chemo, depending on how her cancer responds initially. Aimée’s message to women in her community is to get tested early and often and not to wait if you find something suspicious on your body. Because cancer, especially breast cancer, doesn’t run in her family, Aimée never felt she had to worry about it, and she urges other women not to take the same approach. Cancer can affect anyone, regardless of family history. Battling cancer requires enormous strength and resilience. Aimée draws from her loving family and friends, and the support of her workplace. These people allow her to stay connected to the community and focus on the fight. She has applied for funding through the San Juan Medical Foundation’s Cathy Lincoln Memorial Cancer Fund, and is hugely grateful for not having to worry about finances during this time. Your support helps women like Aimée receive financial assistance for medical exams, diagnostic testing, medication, treatments and travel. Please donate to the Cathy Lincoln Memorial Cancer Fund today.