LEWISTON, Maine — Editor's note: The video attached to this story was published Sept. 20.
On Saturday, Sept. 23, thousands of people and waves of emotions filled Simard-Payne Park in Lewiston, as Mainers and others from across the country gathered for the 15th annual Dempsey Challenge.
Whether they biked, ran, or walked — or did both in a new duathlon event — all participants made an impact, helping the Dempsey Center continue to offer free services and support to cancer patients and their loved ones.
“We’ve all been impacted. We all share that collectively," Patrick Dempsey, co-founder of the Dempsey Center, said about cancer onstage Saturday morning.
Dempsey said between 9,000 and 10,000 people in Maine are newly diagnosed with cancer every year. He said he wants more people nationwide to understand the importance of wraparound services like the ones the Dempsey Center provides.
“I hope we will be able to reach everybody who has been impacted by cancer. That is our goal in the state of Maine," Dempsey said, later adding: "We have a lot that we need to get done in the next 15 years. We’ve done a lot in 15 years, but [there's] still a long way to go.”
People came from near and far to take part in 2023's challenge. Maureen Keaney Fisher lives in Tampa, Florida, for part of the year but grew up in Auburn and said she went to high school with Dempsey, noting they did theater together.
“When I saw that Patrick created the Dempsey Center, I just had to do it," Fisher said of the challenge.
Fisher said she has participated for at least 10 years and is back now for the first time since the pandemic.
“It’s awesome, and I plan on doing it every year from now on – as long as they do it," Fisher said.
Tom Aceto lives in Yarmouth. He biked the 25-mile race on Saturday after the cancer he was originally diagnosed with in 2012 made a reappearance this spring.
"It was in remission for a while, and it reared its head again pretty aggressively," Aceto said.
Aceto said his motto the past few months has been "don't waste days." It's why he decided to reschedule one of his infusion appointments, so he could take part in Saturday's event. He said it's important to him to support the Dempsey Center.
“It’s a marvelous place. They do great things there," Aceto said.
Everyone who takes part in the challenge is expected to raise some amount of money. Steve Ismail of Bangor took that to a new level this year, raising $104,000 and counting so far.
“It feels so nice to be able to give back to an organization that gives so much to us as a family,” Ismail said, noting he was first introduced to the Dempsey Center through his work, but it became more personal when his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer 10 years ago.
“I always say it’s a place you never want to have to be at, but you are so glad they’re there if you do need it," Ismail said.
Ismail said in 2021, he and his wife were training for the challenge when they were hit by a truck.
"I died twice, three months apart – coded a couple of times; 29 surgeries; spent 10 months in the hospital," Ismail said.
He got out of the hospital a couple of months before last year's challenge and was frustrated being there but not being able to walk.
"I set a goal this year to walk a mile," Ismail said. He accomplished that and became the person to raise the most money in 2023 for the Dempsey Center.
None of the event would have been possible without hundreds of volunteers like Avery Brennan of Portland who gave up her Saturday to be at the challenge.
“This is my first year!” Brennan said excitedly. “It’s something we’ve been wanting to do for a while. It’s a great cause. We’re both nurses.”
Brennan said she's already planning to come back for another year.
"The energy here is amazing. Everybody’s smiling. Everybody’s having a good time," Brennan said. "[I] couldn’t have asked for a better day.”
The Dempsey Center had a goal of raising $1.8 million this year. You can check in on that progress here.