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Undercover sting operation

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FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2022

VOL. 130, NO. 48 Serving the Lower Columbia Region since 1891

Local cancer survivor to ring bell ZOE GOTTLIEB chronicle2@countrymedia.net

It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity no one ever imagines will happen to them. To ring it is an act of strength. Its chime signifies hope for a brighter future: no more hair loss, no more scans, no more painful treatments, and no more waiting for bad news. “Once you don’t get to ring the bell, they don’t let you come back,” said Stephanie Clune, a Rainier resident and friend of breast cancer survivor Kay Steele. Remission is no small feat, and ringing the bell is a symbolic rite of passage for many cancer patients.

I feel like God has brought us together. He’s shown me I have a purpose. ~ Stephanie Clune, friend

After Steele, declared cancerfree, was denied ringing the bell at the hospital where she received treatment due to COVID-19, Clune launched a fundraiser to purchase Steele a bell of her own. “She had expressed how that hurt, because that’s something that means a lot to people going through (cancer),” Clune said. Clune stressed the importance of giving Steele “closure” before her April 26 surgery to treat radiation burns she sustained after treatment. The bell plus shipping and handling fees cost $300, which Clune said she purchased with her savings and community donations. Bell’s history The End of Cancer Treatment Bell has its origins in the United

Courtesy photo

Breast cancer survivor Kay Steele will mark the end of her cancer treatment with a bell ceremony.

Courtesy photo

States Navy, according to the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas. As reported by the center, a rear admiral in the U.S. Navy, Irve Le Moyne, was undergoing radiation therapy for head and neck cancer and told his doctor, Kian Ang, M.D., Ph.D., that he planned to follow a Navy tradition of ringing a bell to signify “when the job

was done.” According to legend, he brought a brass bell to his last treatment, rang it several times, and left it as a donation. The bell was later mounted on a wall plaque at the Main Building’s Radiation Treatment Center. Bell-ringing ceremonies are often attended by family and friends

and are held to mark a milestone in cancer treatment. The diagnosis Kay Steele, also known as “Miss Steele” of Clatskanie, has worked at the Chevron Food Mart in Rainier for over a decade and received her Stage I breast cancer

diagnosis in July 2019. “I had long hair before,” she said. “It would come out in clumps, and I would just sit and cry. I didn’t realize how much identity I put in my hair. But it was horrible to see on my shower walls or my pillow or in my hand.” Breast cancer survival outcomes are dependent on two factors: a person’s diagnosis and treatment according to the Susan G. Komen website, which reports that the five-year breast cancer survival rate is between 98 and 100% for patients diagnosed with Stage I breast cancer and between 66 and 100% for patients with Stage III breast cancer. Though it is more commonly seen in women, both men and women are at risk of developing breast cancer. In 2018, the most recent available data, there were 129.3 cases of breast cancer per 100,000 women. For men, that rate was 1.3 per 100,000. Although losing her hair was emotionally devastating, Steele later developed a sense of humor about it. “When it first came back, it came back as a straight-up mohawk right at the top of my head, and I’m like, there’s no way I would have ever done this to myself,” she said. “God, you’re funny.” While the chemo and radiation therapy are over, Steele is still a long way from recovery. “As of right now, I’m still in remission. My blood counts are all good,” Steele said. “I was hoping to get this double mastectomy so it won’t happen (again), but they’re afraid they won’t have enough skin to close me. “I can’t do this constant anymore and fake being happy at work,” she added, her voice breaking. “It is so hard.”

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See BELL Page A9

Heritage Days returning despite challenges JEREMY C. RUARK jruark@countrymedia.net

Planning for the annual Clatskanie Heritage Day celebration is moving full steam ahead as a small group of citizen volunteers work to return the popular event following the pandemic. Heritage Days had been canceled the last two years due to COVID-19. “We are meeting regularly,” Heritage Days Committee Chair Debi Smiley said. “We are working to get a schedule and events and vendors in place, but it is a little more difficult, people are no longer in business or don’t have the capacity to attend. We have others who are stepping up.” In August, the Heritage Days Committee announced that the annual Independence Day celebration would return in full force.

Election ..................... A3 Opinions ................... A4 Community Events .. A4 Classified Ads ......... A5 Legals .................... A5-6

Contact The Chief Phone: 503-397-0116 Fax: 503-397-4093 chiefnews@countrymedia.net 1805 Columbia Blvd., St. Helens, OR 97051

“We want to bring as much of Heritage Days back to the community as we can,” Smiley said in a published interview with the Chief in August. This week, the Heritage Days Committee renewed that commitment, with Smiley saying the mission is “to bring the community together by providing an affordable and fun event that educates and showcases our rich traditions in a family-friendly atmosphere.” The poplar community celebration includes a citywide parade, a car show and a fireworks display. During the Fourth of July weekend, Clatskanie City Park fills with food booths, including the popular local homemade pie selling booth, family games, vendors and displays, and the fireworks display above the park at dusk on Independence Day. Challenges Smiley said a new challenge facing the committee for the 2022 celebration is continuing the annual popular vintage car show. “The Clatskanie Cruisers had been hosting the car show for 30 years, so we are taking over the event,” she said. “We will do our best to continue that event.” Smiley declined to provide specific details about why the Clatskanie Cruisers Club has decided not to conduct the car show and have transferred the effort to the Heritage Days Committee. The Heritage Days signature beginning, according to Smiley, is the annual car show conducted the last Saturday of June that fills

2022 Columbia County

Jeremy C. Ruark / The Chief

The Heritage Days Parade, a city tradition, moves from Clatskanie Elementary School, down Nehalem Street to Clatskanie Park.

the city park with a variety of vintage vehicles. There is also the All Class Reunion to be held at Clatskanie City Park the Sunday following the car show. According to Smiley, this year’s Heritage Days will include other popular traditions, such as a softball game, basketball tournament, ice cream eating contests and homemade pies for sale at the park. “We are excited,” Smiley said, adding that another key element is raising the needed funds to put on

Heritage Days. Smiley estimates the cost can be as high as $25,000. “That cost includes the fireworks, which is a big expense, the portable toilets, insurance, advertising and other costs. It all adds up,” she said. “So, we are also planning fundraising events to help fund Heritage Days.” A community bark dust sale and delivery project will be one of the annual fundraising projects, Smiley said, which is expected to be conducted in May. Specifics about the fundraising events were

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pending at press time. Follow the event information at clatskaniechamber.com. Heritage Days history The passion and drive to continue Heritage Days is part of Clatskanie’s community tradition, according to Smiley. “It has been a community activity for over 63 years,” she said. “It

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See HERITAGE Page A2

Saturday

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April 23 April 24 58892 Saulser Rd., St. Helens, OR 97051 Special Guest!

Shannon Quimby You can still be a vendor!

Call 503-397-0116 for information

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