Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org
Surnames: Huth, Reimer
----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 4/17/2019
“Hope for Huth” Upcoming Fundraiser (Riana Huth – 2019)
Upcoming Fundraiser to offer “Hope for Huth”
Granton Middle School and High School Student Council members are hosting a fundraiser April 27 to raise money for medical expenses for Riana Huth, a senior at Granton. Riana was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia at the age of 17. Submitted photo
By Valerie Brecht
As a Granton young woman is facing health struggles, her community is offering support on the journey.
Riana Huth is a senior at Granton who participates in the high school choir. She enjoys music, singing, photography and art.
At the age of 17, Riana was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Granton Middle School and High School Student Council members decided to host a fundraiser to raise money for Riana and her family for medical expenses. The student council will offer dinner and a movie at “Hope for Huth,” Saturday, April 27, at Granton High School.
Student council member and event organizer Rhiannon Reimer said it is an honor to be able to support Riana in this way.
“Riana is a very loveable girl,” said Rhiannon. “Every time I see her in the hallways she always has a smile on her face, and she’s always happy. She has an amazing voice for singing.”
Riana explained her cancer journey thus far. It began when she was 17 and noticed petechial hemorrhaging on her legs that continued to spread over her body. She went into her yearly checkup on Jan. 23, 2018, and had blood drawn to see what was going on.
“When we first got the call with the results, they told us that I just had extremely low platelet levels which could be very dangerous, and that I needed to get to the Marshfield Hospital to get a platelet transfusion,” she said. “When we got to the hospital, they had a room that was already prepared for me and they immediately started taking more blood to do more tests and to figure out what was going on. In my head, I was oblivious to having cancer and would have never thought that it could be a possibility.
“The same night I was admitted to the hospital, the oncologist came in and sat down with me and my family and I will never forget what he said to us. He explained, ‘We did some tests and it appears that 80 percent of your white blood cell count is leukemic.’ After he said that I couldn’t focus on anything else he said other than that they needed to do more testing.
“The next day I had my very first spinal tap and bone marrow biopsy. The results that he gave us that evening were conclusive to the night before, but a little worse. He explained that they now said 87 percent of my white blood cell count was leukemic.”
It was at that point that Riana was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and told that without treatment she had no chance of surviving. She needed to begin treatment immediately. The next day she had her first round of chemotherapy.
“The journey through cancer has been many ups and downs – from hospital stays, fevers and nausea [to] loneliness, tears, laughter, long nights and so many more things that happened during the beginning of my treatment and that continues as I keep going through my treatment,” Riana continued.
“I can say that without God I would not have been able to fight like I had or have had the strength to keep going, when I felt like I was fighting a losing battle.”
As of May 23, 2018, Riana was cleared of cancer, but she still had to continue on her treatment plan.
“With leukemia, it has to be treated for a long time and with very intense chemotherapy,” she explained.
Riana will not finish treatment until May 23, 2020.
Although she has a long road ahead, Riana has had many people that have come alongside her to support her and will continue to do so.
“My family and friends have been the greatest support to me. But there ae many people from around the U.S. that have been praying for me and have donated to my family as well,” she said.
“Some people were able to help my family through providing meals while I was in the hospital and when we were not able to make food while I was sick, she added.
There has also been mutual encouragement between Riana and others who have dealt with tough health situations like her.
“I have met a few people who have gone through similar circumstances like what I have been going through; I would say that one way that I have encouraged them was just by talking and being a friend in a time of fear and loneliness,” she said.
“These same people have encouraged me through being a friend when I needed it the most. When I have met people, who have gone through similar things, they have encouraged me that I can make it through and that I am strong enough, and that when it’s all over that I will be able to help people that are going through what I am now.”
After Riana completes treatment, she plans to apply for college and pursue worship leadership.
The “Hope for Huth” benefit will begin at 4 p.m. Student council members will serve garden salad, two types of pasta with three different sauces, lemonade, milk, coffee, and an assortment of desserts donated by Granton Area Schools staff.
There will also be a raffle and silent auction. People are invited to make a free-will donation, with 100 percent of the money to go directly to Riana and her family. Dinner is from 4–7 p.m. The movie will start at 7 p.m. The meal will take place in the cafeteria and the movie in the central gym.
