Saticoy : Benefit to Help Pay for Cancer Therapy

When their 15-year-daughter, Tanya, was diagnosed with cancer of her lymph nodes in May, Sam and Anna Triana thought of nothing but returning her to health.

The Saticoy couple sat by their daughter’s side as she endured massive doses of chemotherapy, eventually losing all of her hair and dropping nearly 20 pounds. And they were there to cheer her with the good news that the tumor that had covered her entire chest cavity had disappeared.

But now that Tanya is in remission, the Trianas must face another aspect of her illness: the costly medical bills. To date, Tanya’s treatment has cost $30,000.

To help the family cover the bills for Tanya’s treatment, which is continuing, a group of friends have organized a fund-raiser that will take place today. Billed as a sports auction and barbecue, the event will take place from noon to 6 p.m. at American Legion Post 741 in Camarillo.

Tickets cost $10 and include a tri-tip barbecue and admittance to the auction. Among the items to be auctioned are several footballs, baseballs, bats and basketballs signed by sports stars, such as Terry Pendleton, selected the most valuable player on the Atlanta Braves during last year’s World Series, and Chicago Bears Hall of Famer Dick Butkus.

A dozen men who played in a fast-pitch softball league with Sam Triana several years ago organized the fund-raiser. “We just wanted to do what we could for a friend,” said Virgil Willard, one of the organizers. “Tanya is an awfully nice kid.”

Tanya was a starting pitcher on the girl’s junior varsity softball team at Buena High School when her cancer was diagnosed May 13. The day before, she was wheezing as she tried to run the bases during a softball game and finally had to sit down, said her mother.

When the doctors diagnosed the cancer, which was attacking the body’s lymph nodes, her parents were told she did not have much time to live because the tumor had grown so quickly. However, surgery showed that the tumor was centralized and had not spread its cells into other organs, Anna Triana said.

Tanya will continue to receive chemotherapy and radiation treatments to make sure the cancer does not recur. Doctors says her chances for full recovery are very good, Anna Triana said.

Although the family has insurance, they are not sure how much of the bills it will cover. That’s where the money collected from the fund-raiser will be put to use, Tanya’s mother said.

“This money will help to make up the difference,” she said.