As the oldest child, Sharon Mitchell has always been the big sister, the one everyone else turned to for help, until now. Almost five months ago she was diagnosed with follicular lymphoma, a cancer of the lymph nodes, and her younger brothers and sisters right away came to her aid. This week they will host a benefit in her honor to help her pay for the multitude of tests she has already undergone and the days of chemotherapy that lie ahead. “I was always trying to take care of them when I was little, but now I don’t know what I’d do without them,” Mitchell said. Though born and raised in north Minneapolis, Mitchell’s siblings are spread across the Annandale, South Haven, Kimball and Maple Lake area. Her mother, Arlene Buranen, lives in Kimball and her dad, Walter, is at the Annandale Care Center. Her brother Jim Buranen co-owns J&J Marine a few miles west of Annandale. The benefit will take place at the Maple Lake VFW on Sunday, April 30, from 1 until 5 p.m. Follicular lymphoma is a slow growing cancer, which means Mitchell, 58, could live in a period of remission for 10 to 20 years. Unfortunately, the cancer isn’t curable. Chemotherapy treatment will hopefully shrink the cancer to the point where it won’t affect her body, Mitchell’s fiancé, Tim Sullivan, said. The couple has been together for 18 years, and Sullivan has been a lifesaver. “He takes care of me,” she said. “You’ve got to have someone to go to all those exams with you, because when you’re experiencing it, sometimes what the doctor says doesn’t always sink in,” Sullivan added. The worst was after her first chemo treatment, which she describes as a “nightmare.” The pain was so bad Sullivan was afraid to leave her alone even for a minute. Although her second treatment, which she underwent just a week ago, was considerably better, her condition has still affected how much she can work. Before the cancer, Mitchell spent her days at Houck Machine of Plymouth. Now she can do three to four hours at a time before the pain and weariness become too much. Luckily the family-owned company is very understanding. “They let me come in when I feel up to it and they have kept the job open for me,” Mitchell said. “They say I’m like family and that makes me feel very good.” Mitchell has had her share of medical problems over the last few years that have affected her ability to work. Four years ago a pancreas problem put her in the hospital for a month, and last year she fractured her knee in a car accident. One night in January she sat down to eat a sandwich and was struck by a piercing pain in her stomach. “That was the beginning of it (the cancer),” she said. So far she’s been through multiple biopsies, radiological studies, surgery, clinic visits and has begun the first of many chemotherapy treatments. But her family, including her three children, siblings and a host of relatives, has been with her through it all. When Mitchell was first told of her family’s plan to host a benefit she had mixed feelings. “It’s hard to be put in that position,” she said, “but when you don’t have money coming in and things are like they are … you appreciate it.” The benefit will include a roast beef dinner and silent auction. All proceeds will go toward Mitchell’s treatment and recovery.
