Every year for the past 13 years, the annual Pig Bowl event brings communities, families and police officers together for a common goal – to raise funds for individuals in need.
Sept. 19 on Sid White Field in The Dalles, Tana Slawson and Lila May Schow were honored on an emotional night.
Schow, 5, passed away on Saturday, Sept. 12 after a three-year battle with a rare form of childhood cancer called Neuroblastoma.
“When I heard that she had passed, I sat down and cried, because I know how hard her family fought and how hard this community fought. It is never easy when it is a kid. It never is,” said Pig Bowl treasurer April Weaver. “I think that little girl made a huge impact on our community. I know that her little heart will be within our community forever.”
At the age of 2, Lila started treatment at Doernbecher children’s hospital in Portland that included a bone marrow transplant.
In all, she went through five rounds of chemotherapy, three of radiation and eight surgeries.
Although the family, including mother Heidi Hall, stepfather Blake Hall and stepsister Mia Hall, 5, celebrated several times after getting reports that Lila was free of cancer, there were relapses in her medical condition.
On Aug. 4, Lila was given a fairy tale birthday bash fit for a princess in honor of her fifth birthday.
Her family, who resides in Hood River, announced that the 2015 party would probably be Lila’s last due to the aggressive spread of cancer and low blood counts that had stopped treatment.
Although Lila was not expected to survive longer than a few months, her parents said they were committed to making sure she had as much fun in her young life as possible.
Before her death, Lila was able to take several trips, the most recent to Disneyland Park in Hawaii.
Days before her passing, country music star Luke Bryan made a phone call to the family and spoke with Lila and her loved ones.
“I cannot even imagine what they are going through, but I know that as they are able to heal a little bit and move forward that they are always going to have Lila in their hearts,” Weaver added. “They are always going to think about her and she is always going to have a huge part of everything they do in life. She is going to be their inspiration for moving forward.”
In 13 years, the Pig Bowl organization has raised more than $200,000 and the money goal of between $25-to-$30,000 was met, as both families received checks for $14,500 in a ceremony taking place at Westwind Frame and Gallery, of The Dalles. Shop owner Marty Hiser donated a custom-made picture frame with photos from the Pig Bowl.
Slawson and her husband, Rick, reside in Goldendale and she has worked at Fred Meyer in The Dalles for more than four years.
She had a seizure on Jan. 17 that led her to the office of a neurologist and an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) of her head.
She was found to have a brain tumor on her left temple lobe that was believed by physicians to be the size of a golf ball.
Although Tana was told in March that she could wait up to a year to have the tumor removed if it was not cancerous or fast-growing, she opted for surgery as soon as possible.
On May 1, three days before the operation, Tana had another seizure. She learned about a week after the surgery that she had a Grade III Anaplastic Astrocytoma, a quick growing malignancy.
Tana was told by doctors the tumor had “fingerlings” and not all of them could be removed. She began going through radiation and chemotherapy treatments on June 15.
Although she finished radiation on Aug. 3 her chemotherapy was put on hold due to her blood platelets being too low.
She will continue treatment when these levels rise. Meanwhile, the family is grappling with grief over the unexpected death of her father on Aug. 6.
Tana was born in Goldendale and raised in Glenwood. She and Rick have raised two children, Carly, 21, and Richard, 19.
“It has been tough,” Rick said. “I hate to see her going through a lot of pain. She is staying strong for both of us and she is trying to work through it. She has given me a sense of strength and inspiration. It has been tough, but we will keep fighting.”
With the help and well wishes from surrounding communities, she admitted that her faith in people is being restored day-by-day.
“It is so humbling knowing that there is always somebody there who will come out of the woodwork to help and support you,” Tana said. “I cannot thank everyone enough for their generosity. These people inspire me and are a huge inspiration to me and keep me positive while I am going through this fight.”
For more information, go to www.pigbowl.net.
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