In December, John Baysinger of Woonsocket was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer with spots on his liver. He has been taking chemo and has finished that treatment for the time being. He is currently in Rochester at the Mayo Clinic to meet with surgeons for treating both his colon and his liver. 

Because of the expenses that incur with such a diagnosis and everything that goes into treating it, some friends of John put together a benefit for him to help pay for some of the out-of-pocket expenses that go along with the treatments and follow-up. 

The benefit was held in Letcher on Sunday, March 14, and included a fish fry and chili feed, a silent auction, a bake sale and a live auction. It also included a few raffle boards for donated guns, cement and a 70-quart Big Frig cooler with the Baysinger Honey Farms logo on the top of it. According to one of the benefit organizers, the benefit on Sunday raised about $25,000. With the money raised from the raffle boards that had already been taking place prior to the event and the private donations deposited into the account setup at First National Bank, there has been a little over $40,000 raised for John to help in his fight against cancer.

The outpouring of compassion and generosity from the communities in Sanborn County has been nothing short of amazing and inspiring. It has been heard many times, over the past couple of months especially, of how wonderful it is to live in a small town, and the continued support for those who find themselves in need of love and help is definitely proof of that. The way that the small communities of Sanborn County have worked together is truly remarkable and second to none.

…See an additional picture from the event in this week’s issue of the Sanborn Weekly Journal!