Fighting Cancer with Memories, Cookies, Music and Love

Dennis Huzela had ATATUD. No, that's not a typo.

"He was the kind of guy who made the whole family laugh," said Cheryl Saul, Huzela's sister-in-law.

Saul, along with hundreds of equally dedicated troopers, took their personal battles against cancer to the trenches this weekend during Macungie's annual Relay for Life in Macungie Memorial Park.

Cathy Huzela, Dennis's wife, shared similar stories about her husband.

"He was the one everybody loved to have around," Huzela said.

Both women fought with him through the cancer that ended his life in 1999, then both fought breast cancer at the end of 2009 and beginning of 2010.

They -- along with the rest of the family -- have adopted Dennis's "ATATUD," which was also his license plate. His daughter Michele uses it now on her car.

Saul and Huzela had been part of others' efforts in previous years, but this year struck out on their own. As of Saturday morning they had won the Bronze Award for raising $2,500, and went on to raise $3,700.

Down the lane, sisters Carol Gable, Teri Demmy and Barbara Cope were overseeing the tables for St. John's UCC in Emmaus. Their pastor, the Rev. William Fenstermacher lost his battle against cancer several years ago.

"There's nobody who hasn't been touched by cancer," Gable said.