By Amy Rowley
I remember the call vividly. I wished I could wake up from the nightmare and not hear that my daughter’s teammate and friend, Samantha Warjone, was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Sam was only 8-years-old and on day two of third grade at Griffin School. The news rocked the nuclear Steamboat Island community. Like me, many parents felt powerless against Sam’s diagnosis.
“Sam’s diagnosis hit me on a personal level,” recalls Anne Larsen. “I couldn’t imagine being in her parent’s place. I wanted to show Sam that the community loves her.”
That community support came quickly when more than 60 team members formed Team Sam I Am in 2013, shortly after Sam’s diagnosis. “Team Sam I Am was formed organically by a group of friends and family with the idea of doing something positive with our grief,” says Kelly Levesque.
During the past two years, as Sam fearlessly fought leukemia, the team has participated in 5k runs, obstacle course races, and other competitive events. Their crowning moment is the Big Climb that benefits Leukemia Lymphoma Society (LLS). In 2014, the first year that the team raced in the event, they raised about $25,000 through personal fundraising and bingo events.
This year, the team raised in excess of $50,000, doubling last year’s fundraising efforts. The money goes directly to support the LLS mission to fund blood cancer research, education and patient services.
“I am still in disbelief,” says Sam’s mother, Bree Warjone, after hearing that the team’s total ranks them in the Top 5 for fundraising teams. “We live in an amazing place where everyone can rally for a cause. It’s hard for me to even pinpoint all of my emotions.”
Mike Warjone, Sam’s father, agrees. “We are thrilled with the overwhelming support for LLS from the Olympia community. We are lucky to live in this time and this region where there is so much awareness and support.”
Kelly is the team’s Big Climb captain. “I knew that my sadness and empathy (related to Sam’s diagnosis) could not help my friends, and I was motivated to turn that negative energy into something positive,” says Kelly when asked why she chooses to fundraise for LLS.
“I have been blessed with healthy children. I don’t know how to find a cure, but I do know how to raise money and put those dollars in the hands of people that can find a cure,” adds team member and mom of two young girls, Beth Berschauer.
“It’s very obvious that Team Sam I Am has a connection to the LLS mission,” says Courtney Hale, Director of Special Events for LLS. “To see the energy of Sam’s group of family and friends is truly moving on a grand scale.”
“These dollars are going to support the brightest and greatest researchers around the world, while also funding patient services locally,” continues Courtney who says that LLS currently funds 10 research projects at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the University of Washington. The grants exceed $3 million.
Bree agrees with Courtney about the value of raising money for cancer research. “Treatment has improved so much in just the past five years. Even though we aren’t yet at a cure, the treatment is so much better.”
“Sam’s treatment today means that she can still play basketball and soccer. Just a few years ago that would not have been possible,” adds Bree from the sidelines of a soccer practice. “I feel so fortunate that Sam is a normal kid even though she’s undergoing chemotherapy. Her body is loaded down with drugs but she’s still out there running and laughing.”
Team Sam I Am will come together for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society’s annual Big Climb on Sunday, March 22. The event pits participants against 69 flights of stairs, or 1,311 steps, to reach the top of the Columbia Center in downtown Seattle.
“I will climb because I have witnessed firsthand the healing effects of treatment in action — a bright future for one little fighter,” says team member and mom of four, Erin Gantenbein.
Kids will be racing alongside their parents and Sam will be making the trek this year too. Erica Smith will be climbing with her husband and two children. “I am inspired by my team. I feel lucky to be able to help positive groups, like LLS, do amazing things for kids,” she comments.
“It’s about wearing the Team Sam I Am shirt as a symbol of empowerment and support for our friends. We wear the shirt and we fundraise because Sam could be any of our children,” concludes Kelly.
Sam just celebrated her 10th birthday. She is an active defender on the soccer field and an aggressive shooter on the basketball court. She recently completed a science experiment about dogs’ food preferences. She excels as a fourth grader at Griffin School and has a deep love of Harry Potter. She hopes to either be a cancer researcher or a veterinarian. Because of each $1 raised, Sam can confidently make these future plans.
“It has been great that so many people have raised money to support cancer research,” summarizes Sam. “Maybe one day, in the future, you can just have one shot and be done.”
To learn more about Team Sam I Am and make a donation to their fundraising efforts to support Leukemia Lymphoma Society, click here. You can also follow the Olympia-based team on Facebook.
