Dare to dance: Fundraiser to benefit American Cancer Society
Ralph Chicone of North Strabane Township will dance with his daughter, Megan, at the 18th annual American Cancer Society Dinner-Dance. Ralph is battling multiple myeloma, an incurable blood cancer.
Pam Polito of Pittsburgh, a two-time cancer survivor, will dance with her son, Frank Polito Jr.
Tim Hassett will dance with Washington County Commissioner Diana Irey in memory of his mother, who died of cancer.
Ralph Chicone has danced once with his daughter, Megan Chicone, and that was at her wedding in 2010.
All eyes will be on the father-daughter duo again when they take center stage at the American Cancer Society’s 18th annual dinner-dance, which will be held Saturday at the Hilton Garden Inn at Southpointe.
This time, though, may be even more emotional for the pair.
Ralph, 59, of North Franklin Township, is battling multiple myeloma, an incurable blood cancer that starts in the bone marrow and attacks the white blood cells.
He has had two stem cell transplants, and twice he has undergone chemotherapy treatments that involved 24 hours of chemo for four consecutive days for three consecutive months. He also takes Revlimid on a regular basis to keep his myeloma levels down.
“I don’t dwell on it. I can’t do things I used to do … but I’ve got to keep moving,” Ralph said before a recent rehearsal for the dinner-dance.
And even though there are days he has very little energy, he said the dance routine shouldn’t pose a problem. “She’s the one who will be dancing,” he chuckled.
Megan, who was captain of the dance team at the University of Pittsburgh, choreographed their dance number and chided her dad, “You told me you were going to have rhythm.”
But if he doesn’t, that’s OK.
“I think we’ll get through the 1 1/2 minutes,” Megan said. “Dad and I have such a great relationship, but it took something like this to really wake me up.”
Megan said dancing with her dad now “is more impactful, more meaningful for me.”
It’s that parent-child component that has most impressed Margie Smith, a community events specialist witht he American Cancer Society in Washington.
Not only have three of the five competing “couples” had a parent diagnosed with cancer, but the daughters of Craig Gnagey Sr. also continue to co-chair the event. Gnagey was one of the dinner-dance’s founding members, but he lost his battle with cancer before the second dance was held. The dance has been held in his memory ever since.
“It is wonderful to see so many parents, through their cancer journey, affecting their children in such a positive way,” Smith said. “Instead of becoming bitter and asking ‘why me,’ they have chosen to use the experience as a teachable moment. And their kids are learning well.”
That’s certainly the case for Frank Polito Jr. of Pittsburgh, who will be dancing with his mother, Pam Polito, a two-time cancer survivor.
“I was always close to my mother,” Frank said, “but I have a different level of respect and bond now. This is an opportunity for us to do something together.”
Pam was diagnosed with breast cancer eight years ago at age 50 after she had her first mammogram.
“The mammogram showed a calcification,” Pam said. “There wasn’t anything to feel. I had no lump. It was just a calicification.”
After she had several lymph nodes removed, Pam underwent chemotherapy and radiation.
Two years ago, a mole on her back tested positive for skin cancer. “When you hear the word cancer, it knocks you back, but it doesn’t define me,” Pam said.
She and her son had planned to dance to “Stayin’ Alive” from “Saturday Night Fever,” but during the first rehearsal with coaches Richard and Laurie Crossland, they decided a salsa-style number was more suited to their experience.
“You come out of the other side of cancer with a different attitude,” Pam said.
Tim Hassett will be dancing with Washington County Commissioner Diana Irey as a tribute to his mother, who died of cancer.
Other dancers include the defending champions, Richard Mowl and his daughter, Kristi Pysh, and Cheryl Sorice and her 7-year-old daughter Melanna.
Couples are accepting donations to support the American Cancer Society. The couple who raise the most money will be declared the winners of the dance competition.
“Hopefully we’ll raise money for cancer to find a cure for one of them,” Ralph said.
The 18th annual American Cancer Society Dinner-Dance will be held Saturday at the Hilton Garden Inn at Southpointe. The evening will include:
• 5:30 p.m. – Registration, cash bar, photo booth, hors d’oeuvres, auctions and raffles
• 7:15 p.m. – Sit-down dinner
• 8 p.m. – Dance competition
• 9 p.m. to midnight – Dancing to the music of Hamler Productions.
Tickets are $75 per person. For more information, call the American Cancer Society at 724-222-6911.
In addition, a wine tasting featuring four local wineries – JD Cellars, Narcisi Winery, Ripepi Winery and Thistlethwaite’s Winery – will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Cost for the wine tasting is $15 per person.