Gala speaker discusses his own journey battling cancer

The SoutheastHEALTH Foundation�s Journey Gala brought more than 400 people to Drury Plaza Conference Center to hear the inspiring words of former NFL running back Merril Hoge and raise money for its cancer-care fund.

The night bore a Moroccan theme, complete with belly-dancing and flame-twirling, but Patti Ranzini, executive director of the foundation, said the night was about providing help to patients on their cancer journey.

She said the foundation is expecting nearly $175,000 in funds raised, which will go toward providing transportation and lodging to patients in need, and assists with capital for the hospital.

The event�s keynote speaker played eight seasons in the NFL, worked as an ESPN broadcast analysis and had his own battle with cancer.

Before the event, Hoge, 52, said he was diagnosed with lymphoma almost 15 years ago.

A performance by Aloha Chicago Entertainment Belly Dancers kicked off the second annual SoutheastHEALTH Foundation Journey Gala on Saturday at Drury Plaza Conference Center.Fred Lynch

�The doctor called me up and told me I had a 3-pound tumor in my lower back,� Hoge said. �He said, �The irony, it�s actually the size and shape of a football.� He then said, �There�s going to be brutal chemotherapy. You�re going to lose your hair; you�re going to be sick and tired.� But the thing he said last that haunted me the most is, �I cant guarantee that this is going to work.��

Hoge said that after that, all he thought about was death, but it was his daughter who helped him to regain inspiration and change his attitude.

�At 9 years old, she came and sat in my lap and said, �Well, dad, you�ve got to find a way,�� he said.

Those words, �find a way� have been Hoge�s mantra since childhood, when he said adults often would discourage his dreams of becoming a professional football player.

�It was the people that tried to dampen that dream that really inspired my motivation,� he said. �Those words inspire action, which really inspired the journey. People from Aristotle to Walter Peyton and my own kids have played a role in that journey.�

Hoge said that after being challenged by his young daughter, death or being sick were no longer options.

�If I would have let discouragement consume me, it would have just been words on a wall,� he said. �The challenges have confirmed the value of what you learn inside the white lines of a football field. But you don�t have to play football to learn that mindset. It can be applied to any craft or challenge you might be facing.�

He said his story is ultimately about a choice, and realizing the power of the mind. Cancer-focused events like the gala, Hoge said, are key to finding better ways to treat cancer: target therapies that are less brutalizing on the body.

Ranzini said the foundation exceeded $2 million in 2017 through its fundraising efforts, which included the first annual Journey Gala that raised around $140,000.

She said its recent donation of $425,000 to the cancer center had gone toward the purchase of a 3-D digital mammography machine.

Dan Berry, who attended the event, said the night was especially personal for him.

�My wife was one of the original journey guides,� Berry said. �She passed away last year, so I�m here to celebrate the legacy she left behind. It�s a great night to bring attention to a very important cause because it has effected so many families.�

Pertinent address:

Drury Plaza Conference Center, Cape Girardeau, Mo.