American Cancer Society’s Cattle Baron’s Ball Of Lee County To Go Virtual

From the Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce:

The American Cancer Society will hold the 16th annual Cattle Baron’s Ball of Lee County as a virtual celebration at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 14. It’ll include a virtual auction that will feature travel opportunities, spa packages and restaurant experiences.

It also will underscore how the community can join in the fight against cancer, a fight all too familiar for event chair Susan Frantz, founder and CEO of Frantz Marketing Solutions.

When the pandemic started, Frantz’s Uncle Barry, a cancer survivor, complained of a few stomach issues. As a survivor, he knew any ill feeling could be a recurrence, but Frantz said, “He stayed positive and kept smiling and laughing with his incredibly loving and endearing spirit.”

The weird feelings were indeed a warning, and his doctor eventually shared the three words no person wants to hear: You have cancer. It’s a diagnosis COVID-19 made even more difficult.

“Barry, our sweet, strong, kind, loving and funny as hell uncle, is once again battling THE BEAST that is cancer with a positive attitude, and knowing that he will again kick cancer to the curb,” Susan said. “I wish we could live in a world where no one has to be told they have cancer.”

The American Cancer Society fights to create a world without cancer every day. ACS is the nation’s leading nonprofit private fundraiser of research, and currently funds $12 million in research grants in Florida alone. But it now faces a $200 million shortfall in research funding because of COVID19. With the help of the Lee County community, the Cattle Baron’s Ball can give hope the advantage over the pandemic. It also will raise dollars that specifically targeting pediatric cancer research.

Cancer hasn’t stopped, so neither can we. And neither can Barry. He recently walked out of Moffitt Cancer Center after surgery, prepared to kick cancer to the curb. Again.

“Let’s fight to end cancer together,” Frantz said. “Join me at the Cattle Baron’s Ball and let’s take cancer by the horns.”

Tickets for the Cattle Baron’s Ball of Lee County start at $150 and include a meal-to-go from Ruth’s Chris Steak House. For more information, visit www.acsengage.org/leecattlebar... or email Kayla Carney at kayla.carney@cancer.org.

This press release was produced by the Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce. The views expressed are the author's own.