Campus rallies to help alumna in cancer battle
Tessa Bassett Winger was a cancer survivor by the time she graduated from USU in 2004. Since graduating, her battle with Hodgkin’s lymphoma came back and she is currently enduring her third treatment for the disease.
“As a parent, it’s devastating,” said Roxie Bassett, Winger’s mother. “You pray and pray that it it will be gone and it’s not. We know prayers are answered, but what really keeps us going is Tessa.”
USU Ambassadors and the community are helping Winger fight cancer with the Color for Tessa Fundraiser, an event they organized to reach out to a past USU ambassador, said Natalie Hancock, a former USU ambassador who is heading the event. The daylong Saturday event will include the Splash of Color 5-kilometer run, the Color Festival and Colors Concert.
Winger will fly to Utah from the East Coast on Thursday evening for the event Friday, after receiving a round of chemotherapy, said Winger, who is also a former USU ambassador. JetBlue donated plane tickets to fly her to Utah, and it also provided tickets for the fundraiser’s auction, Hancock said.
Winger was 16 when she was first diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and at the time she had long, black hair, she said.
“The very first thing that came to mind when the doctors told us was that I was going to lose my hair,” Winger said. “My mom never allowed me to cut it, but losing it wasn’t a problem at all. My dad shaved my head and I enjoyed it. It’s just a different look.”
Winger is now married with two children, and said if she had found out about the cancer growing in her body before giving birth to her children, she may not have been able to be a mother. Though it is difficult to find energy to play with them when she is feeling sick, Winger said she tries every day to never take a cute thing they do or say for granted.
All proceeds from the fundraiser will go toward helping alleviate some of the cost of Winger’s treatments, Hancock said.
“We just started planning through the Team Mason Foundation, and because we are part of that we can use all the funding for her treatment,” Hancock said.
The events will begin at the American West Heritage Center located on Highway 89 in Wellsville. Registration for the Splash of Color 5-kilometer begins at 8 a.m., and the race will begin at 9 a.m. Those who enter the race should wear white attire. Throughout the course of the race, colored chalk will be tossed onto their white clothes, representing the color gained through life’s experiences. Also, those who enter will receive free admission to the Color Festival, which begins at 10 a.m. and includes lunch, pony and train rides, a silent auction, music, concessions and more.
“It’s so humbling to see people that might not really know her or the family,” Bassett said, “but are so willing to put so much time and effort into this. We have had so many people donate things for the silent auction. People are just very generous.”
Bassett said since her daughter was first diagnosed at age 16, she has been a strength to her family, always giving them hope.
“What makes me keep the positive attitude is knowing that other people rely on me,” Winger said. “I know I have a lot of people that are looking up to me, and I can’t give up. I can’t be negative. My strength comes from being taught how to be strong by my mother.”
The last event of the day is the Colors Concert, featuring the band Colors, a Utah group that is reuniting for the fundraiser. It will be held at USU in the Eccles Conference Center at 7:30 p.m. Winger said she will be at every event throughout the day.
“I’m going to feel completely out of it,” Winger said. “I know the second and third days are the worst after treatment … I think I’ll be able to do it, but it will just be kind of zoned out.”
Winger is excited to come back to Cache Valley and see family and friends, and see people come together for a greater cause, but feels strange about the cause being for her.
“This has been the dilemma over the past few weeks,” Winger said. “What do I say to the people who have organized it? I feel like everyone coming together gives me a reason to fight and to be stronger. I want everyone to know that … it makes my family feel that they are not alone in the fight.”
Hancock said Winger will need a bone marrow transplant this summer, and when the Ambassadors found out about this financial need, everyone jumped on board. Alumni ambassadors throughout the U.S. have also taken part in pushing the event forward, she said.
“She is a wonderful mother,” Bassett said, “but now that she knows that her life will be cut short, I know every second of the day she thinks of those kids and what she can do to make their lives better.”
– catherine.meidell@aggiemail.usu.edu