Marilyn Klepper’s teenage daughter Jeanne-Marie died on Mother’s Day in 2001. The 11th anniversary of her death once again fell on Mother’s Day this year. Jeanne-Marie Klepper was a student in the Biotech Academy at Ballard High School when she was diagnosed with a rare “young person’s” cancer – osteosarcoma. A bone cancer that usually manifests in the limbs, her cancer was in her shoulder. A rare disease in a rare spot -- by diagnosis it had greatly metastasized.

The American Cancer Society’s NW Relay for Life in 2001 was scheduled at the Ballard High School track. Jeanne-Marie’s fellow Biotech students had their own team. The event always includes a survivor’s lap. Jeanne-Marie was determined to participate although she asked her mother if she qualified given that she was very ill. “Am I a cancer survivor?”

Her mother told her absolutely yes. “You have survived a lot.”

Jeanne-Marie died five days short of the survivor’s lap but her family has figuratively never stopped passing the baton in her honor at the relay. This year thanks to the planning committee based at Ballard Landmark on Leary Way, the NW Relay for Life returns to the Ballard High School track over the 24-hour period from 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 19 to 10 a.m. on Sunday, May 20th.

I was involved with the Biotech Academy the year that Jeanne-Marie died and remember how emotional it was for them. Klepper was a NOMS graduate, an older sister, a self-driven student who had profiled other students with cancer for The Talisman, and foremost, a dancer. Told after years with Pacific NW Ballet’s program that she would never have the right body for a ballerina she was embraced by the Cornish Preparatory Dance program. Not only does Cornish support any “body” as right for dance they fully supported Jeanne-Marie’s ability to keep dancing during her years of treatment and surgery.

The Klepper family, John, Marilyn and brother Scott, now a BHS graduate himself and off to Willamette College, continue to share Jeanne-Marie’s radiant but short life. There’s an annual award for a graduating 8th grader at Salmon Bay Middle School (formerly NOMS) and a scholarship at Cornish in the Preparatory Dance Program. The Kleppers host an annual summer benefit dinner for the American Cancer Society (ACS), and except for two years have had their own team for Relay.

So it was a perfect match-up of passions when employees at Ballard Landmark – a GenCare community on Leary Avenue, agreed to help Mike Ritter from the ACS, “bring the Relay for Life back to Ballard” as volunteers. The relays are the primary fundraising event for the ACS and are most successful in communities like Ballard where so many connections already exist. Ritter looked at checks sent in from the Klepper’s summer dinner and knew he needed Marilyn Klepper for Relay’s return to Ballard. “She probably knows more about the event than anyone.”

As a volunteer (and member of Ballard Landmark’s “Cougs Crushing Cancer” team) Director of Vitality Leslie Elvebak has managed to combine her resident’s activities with building support for the upcoming event. This week Ballard Landmark hosted a Bingo fundraiser with silent auction and raffle that raised $1100 for the team. Somehow by the time you read this 26 teams will have mentally (if not physically) prepared themselves for a 24-hour event that will include luminarias, Zumba, yoga stretches and the survivor’s lap that Jeanne-Marie Klepper unfortunately didn’t achieve in person.

Each member of the committee, and doubtless each person on the team or who volunteers to help with the event does it for their own reasons. In addition to raising funds for Cancer Society programs that directly support patients and fund research “to solve the disease” Marilyn Klepper values the opportunity to honor those still in treatment. At 9:30 p.m. on Saturday the 19th she will lead the ceremony that leads to the lighting of personalized luminarias and a collective walk around the track.

Local businesses donated gift certificates that helped raise funds. Umpqua Bank has hosted events for the team captains. Additional businesses have donated food and beverages for the hardy souls who have volunteered as team members to go around the track at least once every hour for a sleepless 24 hour period.

This is only the second time since Jeanne-Marie’s death in 2001 that Mother’s Day has fallen on the anniversary. But even as the 2001 Relay for Life took place on the day of her memorial, the baton will continue to be passed, and this year it’s back on the home field.

For more information about donating to a team, dedicating a luminaria or volunteering for the day/night of the event see the website at http://www.nwseattlerelay.org or contact Mike.Ritter@cancer.org. The lighting ceremony will be 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 19th at the Ballard High School track at N.W. 66th.
Check http://www.ballardnewstribune.com after the event for a photo gallery with scenes from the event.