Walk For Walaker

Mayors Walk To Fight Cancer

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All four mayors in the metro come together in honor of late Fargo Mayor Dennis Walaker. They joined forces in a collaborative effort with the American Cancer Society to fight cancer.

All four mayors walked for Walaker by crossing the state line on the Veterans Memorial Bridge. Fargo lost its beloved Mayor Walaker to kidney cancer in December and now the communities, along with its leaders, are continuing his fight.

Violet Deilke is a cancer survivor.

“I was at a breast cancer conference when I actually received the news,” she says.

Ten years ago, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. After a seven month battle filled with a mastectomy and several chemo treatments, she beat the disease and now volunteers to help others battling cancer.

“It is wonderful to see two cities, two counties, two states come together to battle this breast cancer, well breast cancer and all cancers,” Deilke says.

Violet, alongside West Fargo Mayor Rich Mattern who battled prostate cancer, led the group across the bridge.

“Today is a good day not only to honor Denny Walaker but also to honor a lot of people that have survived,” Mattern says.

City leaders shared memories of Walaker’s courage and leadership.

“We had a discussion one time in the fall and I said ‘Denny, you could take time with your family, you could do other things, you could do other events in your life. Are you sure you want to do this?’ And his response was, ‘I’d rather die in office than do anything else that I’m doing today.’ I think it gives us time to reflect if people have cancer what do you want to do with your life,” says Fargo Mayor Tim Mahoney.

And now, all four mayors will continue to fight cancer in a friendly competition by raising money for the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life.

“Every one of us is kind of in competition for that. We’d like to see how well we do to raise some money,” Mahoney says.

“They don’t have a chance against me. They don’t have a prayer. I’ll be winning this one big time,” Mattern jokingly says.

To make a donation to one of the mayor’s campaigns, go to relayforlife.org/mayorswalk. The Relay For Life of Fargo is on June 19th at Veterans Memorial Arena in West Fargo. Mahoney is being challenged by Brad Wimmer for Mayor in April.