Thanks a Million Nurse appreciates cancer donations

May 17, 2015 at 12:00a.m.

AUSTINTOWN

Many Fridays at Austintown Intermediate School are known as “Jeans Day,” because students, teachers and others are encouraged to dress casually. But for Georgia Case, the occasions are anything but casual.

“It’s very important to us to find a cure,” she said, referring to her desire to eradicate all forms of cancer.

Case, a registered nurse for the Austintown School District, spoke recently from the school, on Idaho Road, about her efforts to collect $2 from each staff member who wears jeans. The money will be donated to Thanks a Million, one of the teams set to take part in a Relay for Life event June 13 on the school campus.

Other team members include her sisters, Linda Gabrick and Paula Blasko.

Last year, Case raised more than $1,400 for the team, she said. So far, about $1,300 of this year’s $1,500 goal has been met, with several weeks to go, she said.

The project has special meaning to the 19-year school nurse because her parents, Mary Kay and George Baytosh, died from colon cancer in 1984 and 2011, respectively. The team is called Thanks a Million because that was one of her father’s favorite phrases, Case fondly remembered.

Among those assisting with the fundraiser is Joyce Swoger, a school secretary who crafted a quilt she calls “The Colors of Cancer,” which is largely a colorful series of interwoven light and dark patterns. The quilt is to be raffled, with proceeds to go to Relay for Life, she said.

“I’ve put a lot of love into it. It’s near and dear to my heart,” Swoger said, adding that the disease also runs in her family.

Despite having lost two family members to cancer, Case remains optimistic that progress will continue toward wiping out the disease.

Improved treatment for many forms of cancer, including some types of leukemia, has increased many people’s life expectancy, she noted.

Of course, that does little to ease the pain and shock for many people who receive a cancer diagnosis, which often is devastating to their loved ones as well. Nevertheless, it’s vital to keep the faith and stay strong, Case advised.

“Never give up hope, because every day we’re getting closer to a cure,” she said.

Case also wished to thank her co-workers for their generosity in continuing to donate to her fundraising project.