Volunteers Create Butterflies For Tulsa Cancer Survivors

LeAnne Taylor, News On 6

TULSA, Oklahoma -- It takes hundreds of volunteers to put on the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure every year in Tulsa. 

There are people who help on race day with the survivors or registration and there are all sorts of committees doing work before the race. 

I want you to meet one woman and hear why she's willing to volunteer.

Katie Farr is in charge of the butterflies.  She is chairing the committee that's making dozens of butterflies for this year's Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. 

"Last year I did the walk for the first time and this year I wanted to do something else and I'm a house mom so I have time and I talked to Lindsey and I just told her what I was comfortable doing. I don't like asking for money but I like doing art stuff and she told me about this and I said perfect, let's do it," said Katie Farr. 

People order the butterflies on-line, giving details on what they'd like to see on it, whether it's in memory, in celebration or in honor of a breast cancer patient.

The committee members then go to work. 

"I brought all my scrapbooking stuff, Shelby and Cynthia brought paints and stuff. Everyone's giving what they can," said Katie Farr. 

The supplies are donated and these ladies volunteer to meet weekly to create the butterflies. They hope to sell 100 of them which will be displayed on race day.

 Katie called her friend Cynthia who called her friend Shelby Cain and that's how they ended up here.

"And it's a subject personal to me. I've lost both my grandmothers and my aunt to breast cancer so it was just a really easy way to do something and join in and be a part of it other than walking or running or donating money. It's really hands on which is great," said Shelby Cain. 

The ladies say they feel honored to create these butterflies and can't wait for race day.

"It's gonna be overwhelming. Anytime you get a large group of people together who've all suffered or survived or are currently suffering and fighting for the same thing, that is overwhelming and I can't wait to see them all displayed and I really can't wait to kind of stand back and watch the people who've ordered one, come in and see what we've done and hope that they love it," Shelby Cain said. 

Katie Farr knows what it's like to be a fighter.

Last year, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She thought she'd beaten it. She recently learned the cancer has spread to her bones and the fight begins again.

In the meantime, she's focusing on the work at hand. 

"Last week, it made me happy. It made me feel lucky, you know, to be able to be a part of it. Now it's makes me a little sad just thinking about it so I'm trying not to think about it," said Katie Farr. 

Instead, she's thinking about the lives being touched, one butterfly at a time. 

Now, Katie begins the next part of her journey, visiting doctors and coming up with a new plan of attack to fight the cancer.   

I thank her for sharing her story to help others. I'm told there are still butterflies available to purchase and you can get more information by going to our website, NewsOn6.com/LeAnne'sTeam.   

There are also lots of volunteer opportunities to help with the race.

And you can also sign up to join my team. 

The race is Saturday September 17, 2011 at ONEOK Field in downtown Tulsa.