A small Cooke County town is trying to top its personal best to help beat breast cancer.

Last year, Lake Kiowa, a gated committee of about 2,000 residents in southeastern Cooke County, raised $79,000 for Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

It was the highest contribution from any Texas town for the foundation’s Rally for the Cure project and the second largest contribution in the nation.

The Komen foundation is dedicated to improving the lives of breast cancer survivors and to breast cancer research. Nancy Brinker established the foundation after her beloved sister, Susan Komen, died of breast cancer. The foundation’s headquarters are in Dallas.

Rally for the Cure is a national women’s golfing event which benefits Komen for the Cure.

Lake Kiowa resident LaVona Duryea — who chairs her local Rally for the Cure committee — recently shared her own cancer survival story.

Duryea was like many women diagnosed with breast cancer — she did not think it could happen to her.

“I am a 13-year breast cancer survivor,” she began. “I am the first one in my family to have breast cancer. I was one of these health conscious people who exercise and diet regularly and did not smoke or drink. I thought I did as much as I could. I was told I had breast cancer after a routine mammogram. I got my (reminder) card in the mail, and I went in and did the mammogram and got a call back. When the doctor told me I had breast cancer, I looked at him and said, “You’ve got the wrong person.”

Disbelief is a common initial reaction among breast cancer patients, she said.

Duryea said she let the reality of the diagnosis sink in for a while.

Then she developed a plan.

“In the quiet of the night one evening, sitting before the fire place in my home, and after feeling sorry for myself for a few minutes, I kind of slapped myself in the face and said, ‘Wait a minute. This is not the way to address this.’ I decided to fight it and to beat it, but then also to do whatever I could from that point on to try to make sure other women didn’t have a doctor look them in eye and say those hollow three words, ‘You have cancer.’”

She said her doctor also told her something that encouraged her.

“My doctor told me that because of all the hard work of so many people over the last 40 or 50 years and because of the advancement in research and technology, that I would benefit from that and have a very good chance to win that battle,” she said. “And so, being grateful to those that had done so much before me, I felt like it was my turn to do the same thing.”

She begin working for cancer research while fighting the disease herself.

Breast cancer patients often face both the terror of a cancer diagnosis and the possibility of loosing one or both breasts.

Duryea had a complete, radical mastectomy and said she believes she chose the correct treatment for her cancer.

But she worries that many women who undergo evasive surgical procedures such as the removal of a breast are devastated and depressed after the surgery.

She said she chose a reconstructive surgery to repair the damage after her treatment, and she hopes other women realize they have that option.

“Many years ago, people felt totally disfigured and very depressed (after surgery). But with new plastic surgery techniques, reconstructive surgery is a definite option for those who desire that. It’s not mandatory, but it’s an option. Surgery can completely restore your appearance to normalcy. You don’t have to accept that disfiguration,” she said.

She said her friends and family also helped her cope.

Duryea said she hopes underinsured and uninsured women realize low-cost or free mammograms are available.

“Anyone can get free or very minimal fee breast cancer screenings. This is so important because early diagnosis saves lives,” she said.

She also started volunteering for cancer-related organizations.

“For 13 years, I have been a staunch volunteer with the American Cancer Society on a local, state and national level. And now with Rally for the Cure, this will be my third year to serve on the committee,” she said.

For those who complain about the brief pain associated with mammography, Duryea said: “Mammography is the best invention we have for detecting breast cancer so far, even though it can be slightly uncomfortable. The piece of mind obtained is so valuable, it’s worth the sacrifice.”

Efforts such as education and fund raising are important to the community, she said. Raising almost $80,000 is no small feat.

“The first Lake Kiowa Rally for the Cure was held in 2002. It was organized by Yolanda Arronté who is a retired Dallas Cowboy cheerleader who moved to Lake Kiowa and was a five year breast cancer survivor at that time. She had heard about Rally for the Cure through Golf magazine. A committee of seven women was formed, the tournament was held and it raised $7,800,” Duryea said.

The community nearly doubled its donation to Komen in 2003 when it raised $16,000.

Year after year, Lake Kiowa continued to increase its donations.

“A total of over $206,000 has been donated in six years,” Duryea noted.

Today, Lake Kiowa’s Rally committee is made up of nine members who do various jobs throughout the year to keep the fund raising effort on track.

Last years’ total surprised even the dedicated Rally for the Cure volunteers.

“It was pretty amazing,” Duryea said. “There were 3,315 Rally for the Cure tournaments held nationwide. We were thrilled to find out ours was number one in Texas and number two in the nation,” she said.

The number one contributor to last year’s Rally was a Phoenix, Ariz. country club, she said.

The organization has also added what it calls the “Moberly Challenge Walk” to its Rally for the Cure campaign.

The Moberly Challenge is the idea of 85-year-old Lake Kiowa resident Bob Moberly.

“Bob has made it his mission to walk around the lake every year on his birthday. Last year, he challenged Lake Kiowa to walk with him and support Rally for the Cure,” she said.

The walk is not a brief stroll, she said. A trip around Lake Kiowa is an eight or nine mile trip.

Women from the Lake Kiowa Quilting Bee also had a hand in last years’ fund raising effort.

“The ladies made the most beautiful quilt and sold raffle tickets and presented the rally with a check for $2,500,” Duryea said.

She said she sees every donation as another step toward a cure for breast cancer.

“Too many times, I think people believe their small contributions are not significant. But all those smaller amounts add up and can eventually make a world of difference,” she said.

This years’ Rally for the Cure events include the Moberly Challenge, a concert by “Oklahoma Balladeer” Les Gilliam, a raffle and a Hew Haw Rally drama which Duryea called “pure corn.”

The Gilliam concert is set for 7:30 p.m. Sept. 6 at the Lake Kiowa Lodge. Tickets are available at Kiowa Pharmacy, First State Bank and J.B. Coles’ Insurance Agency.

A ticket to any of the events will get visitors past the security gate, Duryea said.

The Hew Haw show is scheduled for Sept. 12 and 13 and includes local talent.

“All the actors and actresses, the singers and musicians are from Lake Kiowa. It will be nothing but a night of laughs,” she said. “We’ve been in rehearsals for a month now.” Tickets to the event are $10 each.

The Rally itself is set for Oct. 1.

Afterward, the players gather in the lodge for a luncheon during which top golfers receive gift certificates.

Near nightfall, the community gathers outside.

“At the end of the day, we have pink and white balloons with long streamers and everyone who played in the tournament takes a balloon and we have a prayer. Then everyone releases the balloons. It’s gorgeous. It solidifies the end of a day, that in my opinion, all 135 women who played in that tournament have done something in support of breast cancer research. I’m sure many of us are thinking of someone when we release those balloons.”

For those who play in the Rally and help with various fund raising efforts, supporting research is important.

“Three years ago, the Rally committee decided to designate all funds raised by the Rally to go directly to research. That was our choice. So all dollars raised by our Rally go to cutting edge research and grant funding for breast cancer. I realize that research takes time and costs money. A cure may not come in my lifetime, but maybe in my children or grandchildren’s lives. This would not be possible without the complete support of the Lake Kiowa community,” Duryea said.