By KEVIN CHIRI
Slidell news bureau
SLIDELL – When Darryn DeWalt was diagnosed with cancer in 2009, he and his wife didn’t know they were about to embark on a ride that would entail much more than simply getting treatment for the disease.
Since beginning to fight cancer over five years ago, Darryn and Cherine DeWalt have learned about the challenges of navigating through the health care system as they tried to find the best doctor, the right treatment, and make decisions that could have life or death consequences.
The result was that the pair, both marketing professionals, formed a non-profit organization named “Get Checked or Check Out,” which is raising money to help those with the disease, and also support research. They are now heading towards one of their biggest fundraising events ever when Fritchie Park in Slidell will be the site on Saturday, Nov. 1 for the Northshore Gladiator Games—a full day of fun activities for individuals and families. (See separate story for details to sign up.)
“Anyone who suddenly has cancer runs into this same problem,” Cherine said. “There is so much to know about what to do. It’s very difficult since most people go into it never having faced cancer before.”
While Darryn is a success story of his own, fortunately finding the right treatment that has kept him alive and doing remarkably well for his condition, both he and Cherine realized along the way that they wanted to do more than simply survive.
“We wanted to help other people who have come into this situation. God has blessed us to still be here and considering everything, we are doing OK,” Darryn said. “The man upstairs isn’t done with me yet.”
Both Darryn and Cherine have spent their professional lives in arena that includes marketing or working with the public. Darryn was a former radio talk show host in Wisconsin before coming south, while Cherine has a Masters Degree in Marketing. The twosome knew they had a lot to offer in the way of raising money for research, and to help others who faced financial difficulties that cancer brought—frequently not covered by insurance.
Since forming “Get Checked or Check Out,” their group has already raised tens of thousands of dollars to help people individually, and to go towards research for a cure. Darryn’s work in the past had already led him to connect with professional athletes, and since coming south in 2008 he increased his contacts with members of the New Orleans Saints, who are becoming an increasingly big part of the fundraisers “Get Checked Out” is holding.
This past spring the first annual “Saints Ahoy Charity Fan Cruise” was held that brought together 300 fans and Saints players for several fun-filled days on the open seas.
“That was an incredible event,” Darryn said. “We raised a lot of money for research and to help people locally, and fans got a chance to visit up close with many Saints players.”
The second annual “Saints Ahoy Charity Fan Cruise” is now set for March 26-30, 2015, traveling to Cozumel, Mexico, and Darryn said he expects close to 600 people on that trip.
Another growing fundraiser is the “Football Camp for Her” that is heading for its fifth year. This unique event is a health expo that raises awareness and funds breast cancer research. Last year, Saints players Pierre Thomas, Kenny Stills and Lance Moore were involved in the event at the Northshore Harbor Center.
But the Northshore Gladiator Games 2014 should prove to be a huge endeavor that not only can raise money for the cause, but offers families a great chance for fun in a group setting. There will be a 5K Bike Race, a 3K Family Bike Race, 3K Walk, Business vs. Business Tug-of-War, 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament, Softball Tournament and Obstacle Course for teams, as well as a special obstacle course for law enforcement groups to compete against each other.
“We are not only trying to raise money for local people needing help, and also to fund research, but we want to do things that support local families,” Darryn said. “The North Shore is such a tight-knit community so we wanted to do things where families can have fun together. We think the Gladiator Games is going to be a fantastic day of fun.”
As for the funds raised through their work, Darryn and Cherine said that some of their past experiences with other non-profit organizations led them to want to form their own group, where they could be sure where the money was going.
“Too many bigger national groups use so much of the money for administration and it’s not really helping people as much as it should,” Darryn said. “We want to know what is happening with the money we raise and make sure it’s going to the right places, and that’s why we formed our own organization.”
He said that from a recent Black & Gold Hoops Challenge they raised enough money that paid for 40 men to get prostate exams, who otherwise wouldn’t have had it done.
Yet another new program the group is starting is “Amer-i-can” for Cancer, which is a recycling program for aluminum cans, connected to local schools that allows them to collect the cans, donate them to the cause and get 20 percent of the money back for their own schools. It helps “Get Checked Out” and benefits the school children as well.
While Cherine and Darryn now spend all of their time working for the “Get Checked Out” cause, Darryn is still a five year cancer survivor. But part of his recent journey showed the difficulty many people face in making decisions about treatment.
Since initially being diagnosed at the age of 50 with pelvic and bone cancer, he went through much radiation and chemo that seemed to only provide minimal help. He finally agreed to an experimental drug test, but took almost a year to finally get the drugs he had initially been told about.
After beginning the new treatment earlier this year, one tumor in his abdominal cavity has dissolved and the others have been dramatically reduced. But he had to change hospitals and go to his original doctor in New York to finally get the treatment.
“There is help out there if you can find the right treatment,” he said. “But for most people, it’s very difficult to know where to turn or what to do. Most people who are told they have cancer have never dealt with it before.”
To assist in that area, one of the programs available through “Get Checked Out” is a patient navigator, who will assist an individual or family through the challenges of treatment or getting resources in their fight.
“We understand that for the health care industry, cancer is a business,” Cherine said. “But we see these people up close. They are mothers, dads, kids—they are not a factory line at Ford—so we need to make sure that whatever we are doing as a non-profit is directly helping them.
“We’ve been blessed with Darryn’s situation so we are trying to give back to others facing the same situation,” she added.
Anyone interested in becoming a volunteer with “Get Checked Out” or to register for any of their events can call 504-305-7563.