Friday's Internet Edition, July 04, 2008.

Jack Greathouse plays with his granddaughter Nevaeh while his daughter, Mendy Milhoan, watches. Milhoan became involved as a Relay for Life volunteer after her father was diagnosed with cancer five years ago. JIM COOPER/SPENCER NEWSPAPERS

“She’s 14 months old,” Milhoan said. “I hope when she’s my age it will be something she’ll never have to live with or lose somebody she loves to.”

Milhoan, 42, has had more than her share of heartache when it comes to cancer. She lists family members including a grandfather, aunt and uncle as being claimed by the dreaded disease, as well as her husband Chris’ grandmother and grandfather. Another of her uncles has colon cancer.

Milhoan’s father, Jack “Monster” Greathouse, was also diagnosed with cancer five years ago. That’s when she decided to become an active participant in Roane County’s Relay for Life, an annual fundraiser for the American Cancer Society.

A team captain for two years, Milhoan has also been on the Relay committee and served as co-chair for the portion of the event dedicated to cancer survivors. This year, she added the extra duties of organizing mini-Relays at county schools to help children become more involved in the fundraising.

“To me, it’s just my way of giving back,” she said.

Reedy Elementary, which has had a successful mini-Relay for three years now, raised over $1,400 this year. Fundraisers at Walton Elementary and Geary Elementary/Middle took place for the first time and garnered a total of more than $1,500. Spencer Elementary’s walk raised over $2,000. Roane County High’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes also helped raise money. The funds will be added to the county’s total on the night of the main Relay.

“We couldn’t have done it without Mendy,” Sandy Boothe, a long-time Relay official, said. “She’s been a real spark plug with these kids. She took it all on herself.”
Milhoan hopes to add Spencer Middle next year and coordinate the school events so they will take place on a single day countywide.

Milhoan, who has three daughters, has been volunteering her time to the Relay effort while also helping transport her father to treatments in Parkersburg. Greathouse has endured a series of surgeries since his oral cancer was first discovered during a visit to the dentist. The 78-year-old Spencer resident has since had surgeries to remove a kidney and to take cancer from a breast and his colon (twice).

“I felt sorry for myself at first,” Greathouse, who retired from the former Kaiser aluminum plant in Ravenswood, said. “Then I started seeing people come in for treatments that were in worse shape than I was and I stopped that right there.”

Greathouse noted that he had benefited directly from the American Cancer Society. He has been given gasoline cards worth $900 and received rides to treatments through the Road to Recovery program.

He feels fine, now, Greathouse said, noting that he has an appointment scheduled for next week to learn the status of what may be another trouble spot near his remaining kidney.

“I don’t know what I’m going to get this time,” he said.

Greathouse missed the survivor’s walk at last year’s Relay because he was ill from chemotherapy. He plans to be there this time.

“It shows me that he’s still going, that he hasn’t given up,” Milhoan said of her father’s attitude.

In visiting the local schools, she has discovered that a number of students have already had a similar personal experience with cancer.

“Every school you went to, everybody knew what (cancer) was,” Milhoan said. “It’s a terrible disease and it doesn’t care who you are. Everybody in some way has been touched by it.”

Her youngest daughter’s name is heaven spelled backward. For Nevaeh to grow up in a world without cancer would truly be heaven for Milhoan and other Relay volunteers.
This is the first in a series of articles leading up to the 10th annual Relay for Life Friday, June 20 at Roane County High School.