Duluth Jerky Contest Raises Hope for Cancer Survivors

When cancer treatment ends, the casseroles stop coming and the phone calls slow down, leaving survivors feeling forgotten. Dennis Thielke knows this loneliness firsthand, which is why he created an annual jerky competition that's about so much more than smoked meat.

The Third Annual January Jerky Off drew hundreds to the All-American Club in Duluth on Saturday. Fifteen jerky flavors competed for top honors, but the real prize was connection and community for people navigating cancer's aftermath.

Thielke, a two-time cancer survivor and owner of TNT xChange, noticed a troubling pattern after finishing his own treatment. "After you're done with treatment and everyone just kind of leaves you," he explained. With 70% of cancer patients surviving at least five years, he wanted to create a space where survivors could gather annually to share energy and remind each other they matter.

The event honors a different cancer patient each year. This year's benefactor, Brandon Sell, is currently between radiation and surgery treatments. He sat surrounded by supporters, some he knew well and others he'd just met, all there to celebrate his fight.

"It's really humbling to be able to sit back and see people that you know or don't know giving back and participating and just enjoy the day at the same time," Sell said. The connections he's made have proven invaluable, especially with people who understand the mental and physical toll of cancer firsthand.

Sunny's Take

What makes this event special isn't the prizes or the perfectly seasoned jerky samples. It's the reminder that healing doesn't end when treatment does, and that showing up matters just as much after the diagnosis as during it.

The first benefactor, a 15-year-old boy, recently learned his cancer is terminal. But for three years, he's stayed connected to the hundreds of people he met at that first Jerky Off, building relationships that have sustained him through the hardest news.

On a cold Saturday in Minnesota, warmth came from knowing you're not fighting alone.