A longtime Veteran of Foreign Wars Ladies Auxiliary member and volunteer found out this summer she is suffering with cancer.
But friends of the South Kitsap woman gathered together recently to raised more than $550 during an All-American Picnic Dinner at the Fred Needham Veteran of Foreign Wars Post 2669.
LeeAnn Choates, 58, made her way to the VFW, only to be surprised about the event.
“This was so wonderful,” Choates said. “This was a total surprise to me.”
VFW bartender Johanna Gifford, a close friend of Choates, was instrumental in putting on the fundraiser, along with Ladies Auxiliary president Mallory Jackson and Patty Weatherill, canteen manager and past president of the Ladies Auxiliary.
Choates hired Gifford while working at the VFW in Bremerton. Gifford came to work at the Port Orchard VFW in 2004.
“She is a wonderful, wonderful lady,” Gifford said of Choates, who has been involved with the auxiliary for more than 20 years.
Patrons enjoyed all beef hot dogs with all the extras, large selections of salads and homemade pies with ice cream.
Jackson praised the work of the Ladies Auxiliary members.
“The food was great and everyone had a great time,” Jackson said.
Jackson said more donations continue to come in after the dinner.
Choates said the cancer was discovered July 1 after she went to a hospital emergency room after suffering for a seizure. That’s when doctors discovered the cancer.
“I had a seizure and was taken to the hospital,” she said. “An MRI revealed a tumor pressing on my spine and sciatic nerve. That’s what caused my seizure and the cancer was already in Stage 4.”
Before being taken to the hospital, Choates said she hadn’t been “feeling well” and didn’t know why. Doctors also found cancer in her brain, liver and lung.
Since being diagnosed with cancer, Choates has undergone 10 radiation treatments at a Gig Harbor medical clinic. For the past month, she has been taking a chemotherapy drug which shrinks tumors.
“There is only a small percentage of people who can take the drug,” Choates said. “You have to have the right genes and certain type on cancer. They want to shrink the cancer back to normal. They can’t cure it, but they can contain it.”
She now sees the doctor every three weeks, instead of once a week.
“I feel better and I can tell the difference,” Choates said.
Choates was born and raised in Long Beach, Calif., where she met her husband, Bob. The couple moved to South Kitsap in 1993.
While her husband continued his service in the U.S. Navy, Choates raised four children and in 2000 she became the bar manager at the VFW in Bremerton.
Jackson said individuals who would like to donate to Choates can send their donations to the VFW, 736 Bay Street, Port Orchard, WA, 98366.