by Dennis Dalman
editor@thenewsleaders.com
A benefit for cancer survivor Ellie Czeck of Sartell is set for noon-4 p.m. Sunday, March 13 at the Mulligans Event Center in Sartell.
The event will include a massive silent auction with a wide range of intriguing items – from camouflage hunting bags to beauty products. Tickets can be purchased at the door or in advance by calling Joyce Sorenson at 320-248-8488.
Czeck, 21, is a student studying landscape architecture at North Dakota State University. Unfortunately, however, she had to stop her education temporarily to deal with a terrible onslaught of rare cancer. Rare because the type of cancer she’s battling (Ewing sarcoma, Askin’s tumor) is typical usually only among boys around the age of 12.
Czeck was diagnosed in June of last year while she was studying at NDSU. For at least six months she had been feeling out of sorts and came down with a “strange cold” that just wouldn’t go away. Then she began to feel a lot of pain in her back and right shoulder.
“Oh well, I probably stretched and strained some muscle in the gym,” she kept telling herself.
When she became short of breath, she told herself it must be some kind of spring allergies causing her difficulty in breathing.
Finally, the ailments became so severe she could not even eat, and she later discovered why. The tumor had grown so big it had pushed her esophagus to the side.
She went to the doctor. An X-ray at the hospital discovered the hideous tumor, which had actually grown around her upper ribs.
Czeck’s long and courageous fight against the disease was about to begin. She had to endure 11 rounds of chemotherapy until January 2016. Then, at the Mayo Clinic, she underwent surgery at the end of January to remove the tumor, which required taking out parts of five of her ribs and a bit of her right lung.
In the meantime, between bouts of sickness, Czeck did her very best to keep up with her studies online, with a lot of help and understanding from her professors.
“The doctors and the professors have been really good,” she said. “They’ve been just awesome, and the professors were so understanding if I didn’t make a deadline.”
After all the pain, the weakness and feelings of utter debilitation, the battle is not over. She will soon do five weeks of radiation treatments at Mayo Clinic, followed by two or three more rounds of chemotherapy.
Czeck admits the pain from surgery and the weakening effects of chemo were sometimes hard to bear.
“But I’ve tried to stay positive through all of it, and staying positive when you’re fighting cancer really helps,” she said . “It’s important to remember somebody always has it worse.”
Any funds raised during the March 13 benefit at Mulligans will be used for some of Czeck’s medical expenses and to help with living expenses because she won’t be able to work during the weeks she undergoes radiation treatments.
“I hope to return to school this summer,” she said. “I’m in my senior year now so I’m hoping to finish up on my classes (interrupted during her illness).”
A 2012 graduate of Sartell High School, Czeck is the daughter of Mike and Julie Czeck. She has one sister, Samantha, a freshman at Winona State University.
Czeck, who enjoys playing tennis and snow-skiing, describes herself as a “plant nerd” because she loves gardening.
Ellie Czeck strikes a pose as “Rosie the Riveter,” the mythical working woman from the World War II years. Rosie is one of Czeck’s heroes.
The Czeck family of Sartell has bonded with great solidarity for the benefit of daughter, Ellie, who is suffering from a rare form of cancer. From left to right are father Mike, sisters Ellie and Samantha and mother Julie.
