Mary Lou Rainwater knows something about cancer. She also knows the power of hope. The Truesdale City Clerk is a local cancer survivor whose family also has a history with the disease. She was an ideal choice to be the Speaker of Hope for the 16th annual Warren County Relay for Life last Friday, May 31, which was interrupted due to a fierce storm that blew through shortly after she finished her message of hope to those in attendance. “Cancer has been a part of my family history — both of my grandmothers, my mother, my father, a sister-in-law and other family members all have been diagnosed with different types of cancer,” Rainwater said during her address. “I have cancer. What powerful three little words. They changed my life forever,” she continued. “My husband, Ray, our three daughters, our sons-in-law and our six grandchildren all faced the cancer with me. “Other family members, co-workers and friends were there to show their support.” After receiving her diagnosis, which resulted from a routine mammogram six months earlier. “I soon attended a meeting of Inspirations, a cancer support group that meets in Warrenton the third Tuesday of each month,” Rainwater said. “I needed to know that others have survived cancer and listening to their stories gave me hope. ”A regular supporter of the Warren County Relay for Life, Rainwater said her first experience participating with fellow cancer survivors was an “altogether different feeling knowing that others were walking and raising funds to help other survivors and me.” Rainwater said she also became a “Reach to Recovery” volunteer for the American Cancer Society. “With each person I contact, I find they help me as much as I help them, but in many different ways,” she remarked. “To be there for someone else just starting their own cancer journey has really made me feel so blessed.”

What Is Hope? “When I was asked to be the Speaker of Hope, I wondered what really is hope,” Rainwater said. “I asked family, friends, even on Facebook. It was interesting the wide range of input I received, but all led to the thought that hope is a positive, ‘feel good’ emotion.” Reflecting on her own experience with cancer, Rainwater admitted that hope was not one of the first emotions she felt. “It takes time to wrap your thoughts around that you have started on your journey with cancer and you did not even sign up for the trip,” she stated. “But hope is there.“You hope you can keep you life on a somewhat normal routine as you fight this cancer,” Rainwater continued. “Hope for the strength to take the next step on your journey. “Hope to make it through the first year,” Rainwater added. “Then the second year. And the third year. And more.”

Meaning, Reason “I wanted my cancer journey to have a meaning or reason,” Rainwater said. “My cancer was located very deep in my breast and it would have spread before I could ever feel the lump myself.“However, a routine mammogram found it very early,” Rainwater added. “I made it my goal to encourage women to have mammograms and to remind me to encourage the women they love — a wife, daughter, sister, mother or a friend — to get their annual exams. “Don’t play with your life. If you find something or even suspect you have a problem, get it checked out,” Rainwater admonished Relay for Life attendees. “Cancer will not stop just because you believe, ‘It is nothing.’ It is up to us to be proactive with our health. Early diagnosis does save lives.”

Recognizing Caregivers Rainwater also paid tribute to the family members and friends who support cancer patients as they wage their battles against the disease. “Without our caregivers, our journey would be so lonely and much harder,” Rainwater asserted. “You give us hope day after day. Just know as cancer survivors, we thank each of you for always being there for us and for understanding when we might not be the best patient. “It should be our mission as survivors to share our journey with others,” she continued. “To encourage and to give hope to those struggling — to let them see that cancer does not always win. And if it is going to win, we should give it one hell of a fight.”

‘I Have Hope’ “Hang on tight to hope and don’t let go,” Rainwater urged. “One day, you will look back and be amazed you have made it. I just celebrated my fifth year as a cancer survivor in April and I know I am not the same person I was before cancer. “I realize how many blessings are all around us if we just take the time to see them,” she said. “I find things don’t stress me as much as before because, hey, I had cancer. What is this problem compared to that? “I have hope,” Rainwater said. “The hope that we will have more survivors to celebrate more birthdays year after year. And that one day, Relay for Life events will not longer be needed as cancer will become a disease of the past like smallpox is to our grandparents. A world without cancer.”

Mary Lou Rainwater