Benefit to be held Saturday for Two Harbors mother battling cervical cancer

Talk about it

Sometimes living in a small town has its benefits. Such is the case for the family of Two Harbors resident Melissa McGregor-Voltz.

McGregor-Voltz has been battling cervical cancer since September 2009. She’s gone through a slew of surgeries, radiation, and chemotherapy treatments and is still battling cancer to this day. Her most recent round of chemotherapy was Monday. To help with mounting medical costs, the Two Harbors Fire Department and other community organizers, are hosting a benefit at the Moose Lodge in Two Harbors from 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday.

The benefit will include a spaghetti feed, silent auction, and a gift basket raffle. Some silent auction items include local photography and art, concert tickets, and lodge gift certificates. The event costs $5 per person to attend, with all of the proceeds going to the McGregor-Voltz Benefit Fund.

Because McGregor-Voltz’s husband, Brad Voltz, was a volunteer firefighter for about 10 years, his fellow firefighters thought nothing of organizing a benefit to help out one of their fellow comrades. “Brad has always been somebody who was willing to help people, so we thought of a way to kind of pay that back,” said John Schlangen of the Two Harbors Fire Department.

Brad and Melissa have three children, so aside from having to battle cervical cancer, they’ve been juggling the added task of raising young kids. “The hardest part is with having three young kids trying to explain to them what’s happening, finding child care, and trying to schedule (doctor appointments) while they’re in school,” Brad Voltz said.

He said aside from balancing family life with helping his wife recover from cancer, the medical bills have been adding up since 2009. Voltz said the couple refinanced their home last spring, which helped pay bills for a little while, but “after three years, there’s no end in sight for the bills.”

McGregor-Voltz has had many treatments at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Each trip easily costs about $500 between gas, food, and lodging, Voltz said. And that’s not including hospital bills.

While Voltz said he is overwhelmed by the idea that the community will come together to support his family financially, he is also touched by the amount of emotional support they’ve received. “We want it to be known how grateful we are to everybody who’s putting on this benefit. And the ongoing support has been wonderful,” Voltz said. “The support of people through Facebook sending us messages and people sending cards, it really helps to keep your spirits up.”

For those who cannot attend Saturday’s benefit but would like to make a financial contribution, the Melissa McGregor-Voltz Benefit Fund is set up at Wells Fargo with matching funds from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans.

Tags: two harbors, mcgregor-voltz benefit, news