In 2010, my grandfather, Dennis Holicky, was diagnosed with Leukemia. He had a short, but very brave battle. During his few months at Mayo, he received different treatments and even was able to stay at the Hope Lodge briefly.

My grandpa was quite the character. He used to tell the best stories, and he had this magical quality that no matter how far fetched they seemed, you always believed him. Our favorite times with him were spent camping. We camped EVERYWHERE and we wild camp ALL SUMMER. When camping, he would take me for a walk around the campground before bed, and we’d look for “banana trees”. He taught me about the stars, and how to fish. He taught me about the plants and the wildlife. He helped me to see the beauty of nature and how it’s okay to sit quietly sometimes and appreciate the world around you.

Our team name comes from one of the jokes he made when my siblings were younger. The humor is a bit juvenile, but there truly were no filters when we were sitting around the campfire. After a particularly protein-filled dinner, we were sitting around the campfire and somebody farted; my grandpa quickly stumped in the ground and said “Did you hear that? I stomped a frog.” We all laughed at the cover up. It soon became a normal phenomenon at the campfire to “stomp frogs” if you were experiencing some gas. It’s one of the memories that led to many moments of joy & laughter that I can look back fondly on when I miss my grandpa.

So, why should you support the ACS? The American Cancer Society uses your donations to help fund lifesaving research, to help families with travel expenses, to provide accommodations during treatment, and many other things to help lessen the stress and give hope during a time when families can feel so much darkness.