Benefit for cancer patients at SCHC Sat.

Published 10:34 am Friday, February 14, 2014

Gabrielle Butler is cancer-free today after a tough go of it with treatments and a hand-up from dedicated volunteers.
“I was 17 years old when I was diagnosed with Sarcoma cancer and I started taking chemo on June 2, 2011, my 18th birthday,” said Gabrielle Butler of Vicksburg, who found herself out of money and, seemingly, out of options at one point in her treatments.
Initially, Gabrielle spent three months in Houston under going chemotherapy before returning to Mississippi to continue the treatment at the Baptist Hospital in Jackson.
“I had to go for treatments Monday through Friday every three weeks,” she said.
Gabrielle said she still had to travel to Houston every other month for follow-up visits and it was then she learned she’d have to undergo radiation to continue the fight against the deadly cancer ravaging her liver and pancreas — a course of therapy for which she had no money to complete.
Gabrielle’s mother, Donna Douglas, reached out to Carolyn Butler, no relation, for help. Butler, herself a breast cancer survivor, is the founder of Believers of Faith Cancer Organization, a Vicksburg-based nonprofit begun in 2010 that defrays the cost of treatments for patients like Gabrielle.
Butler started the organization to help locals with cancer expenses and to lend support.
She said, previously there was no organization in Vicksburg that offered financial assistance for those going through cancer.
In January, Gabrielle learned she had a clean bill of health — thanks in some part to the $7,000 the group raised to resume her treatments.
Stories such as Gabrielle’s are expected to be highlighted Saturday at the Valentines Red Carpet Benefit Gala at the Southern Cultural Heritage Center. The ticketed fundraiser and dinner is also geared to continue the organization’s goal of providing assistance to cancer patients in need, Butler said.
For more information, call 601-415-2743 or 601-218-7185.

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About Terri Cowart Frazier

Terri Frazier was born in Cleveland. Shortly afterward, the family moved to Vicksburg. She is a part-time reporter at The Vicksburg Post and is the editor of the Vicksburg Living Magazine, which has been awarded First Place by the Mississippi Press Association. She has also been the recipient of a First Place award in the MPA’s Better Newspaper Contest’s editorial division for the “Best Feature Story.”

Terri graduated from Warren Central High School and Mississippi State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations.

Prior to coming to work at The Post a little more than 10 years ago, she did some freelancing at the Jackson Free Press. But for most of her life, she enjoyed being a full-time stay at home mom.

Terri is a member of the Crawford Street United Methodist Church. She is a lifetime member of the Vicksburg Junior Auxiliary and is a past member of the Sampler Antique Club and Town and Country Garden Club. She is married to Dr. Walter Frazier.

“From staying informed with local governmental issues to hearing the stories of its people, a hometown newspaper is vital to a community. I have felt privileged to be part of a dedicated team at The Post throughout my tenure and hope that with theirs and with local support, I will be able to continue to grow and hone in on my skills as I help share the stories in Vicksburg. When asked what I like most about my job, my answer is always ‘the people.’

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