Two Pierce County Cancer Survivors Share Hope at Relay

Two cancer survivors are turning their hardest battles into messages of hope for their Wisconsin community.

Stephanie Huppert and Tommy Helmer will speak at this year's Relay For Life in River Falls, sharing stories that prove resilience can triumph over one of medicine's toughest diagnoses. The annual event packs the River Falls High School gym as community members walk survivor laps, raise money for cancer research, and celebrate those who've beaten the disease.

Huppert received devastating news in November 2024 when doctors found a mass on her pancreas. Pancreatic cancer is notoriously difficult to treat, but after nine months of chemotherapy ending in August 2025, scans showed no evidence of disease.

"I feel as though I've had the opportunity to have a second chance at life," Huppert said. The Prescott High School graduate changed her vacation plans just to speak at the event because she felt so inspired to give back.

Helmer's story carries an urgent warning that could save lives. He waited a year before getting symptoms checked, and his February 2025 colonoscopy revealed Stage 3C cancer. He knows that earlier action might have caught it at Stage 1, when treatment is far more effective.

"It really can save your life, and that's what I want people to go home with," Helmer said. He now receives regular chemotherapy treatments but considers himself lucky because his cancer type is treatable.

Both survivors worked together at Helmer Printing before their diagnoses. Now they're united by a different mission: showing others they don't have to face cancer alone.

Why This Inspires

Huppert learned to accept help from friends, family, and even strangers during treatment. That support network, along with her medical team, carried her through the toughest months. She discovered strength she didn't know she had and realized that things she once thought important became small compared to what truly matters.

Helmer sits in chemotherapy alongside patients whose treatments only extend life rather than cure. That perspective fills him with gratitude and fuels his commitment to encouraging early screening. His message is simple: take care of yourself before symptoms become serious.

The event raises funds for the American Cancer Society while bringing neighbors together to support continued cancer research. Every dollar and every story shared represents hope for better treatments and more survivors.

Huppert's message resonates beyond the gym walls: "Cancer affects far too many people, whether they're a survivor, or a caregiver, or someone who has lost the battle. I am doing it for all of the above."

Both survivors prove that second chances are possible when early detection meets community support and determination.