Fundraiser aims to help send local woman with cancer to Texas for further treatment
When Hatter Tanya Ellis was diagnosed with Stage IV Colon Cancer, her local physician said she has only three years to live with treatment.
Ellis wants a second opinion, so her friends are holding a fundraiser on Friday, Oct. 27, the day before her 43rd birthday, to help her pay for treatment at the MD Cancer Centre in Houston, Texas.
The event, dubbed “1000 Nights to Fight Fundraiser,” roughly marking the three years she was told she has to live, will take place at the Silver Buckle Sports Bar from 6 p.m. until midnight.
A news release from Team Tanya, a collective of Ellis’s friends, family and supporters, says the treatment in Texas comes “with a house-sized price tag attached.”
“There’s a huge community of supporters out there for Tanya,” said Lee Krasilowez, a friend of Ellis’s who sits on the Team Tanya Fundraising Committee.
“We’re really hoping to pump our network like crazy and get a ton of bodies in the door.”
Mahoney will be performing, and there will be a silent auction, live auction and last man standing draw.
Various local businesses have made donations for the auctions and draw, with a total estimated value of around $13,000.
“There’s been outstanding community support for this,” said Krasilowez. “We’ve been approached more times than we had to go and ask to give prizes away.”
The live auction takes place at 9:45 p.m., which will be broadcast on Facebook Live for those who can’t make it to the event and want to place bids.
Krasilowez said Ellis is “as good as good could be” given the circumstances.
“She’s very excited about the fundraiser (and) completely optimistic about what’s to come in Houston,” said Krasilowez.
Tickets are $20, which includes a steak sandwich and drink, and can be purchased at https://1000nightstofight.eventbrite.ca.