By Kelly Wassenberg, Wells Mirror

Cancer — it’s such a vile word yet it’s in all of our vocabularies.

There are few you’ll meet who haven’t been affected by the disease in one way or another. All of us seem to know someone who has received the diagnosis. The luckiest of us can celebrate with the survivors; the rest mourn those who lost a valiant fight.

Indeed, everyone knows cancer’s ugly name and is familiar with the treatment options, which include surgery, radiation, chemotherapy or often times combinations thereof.

Then there’s one form of treatment that cannot be prescribed by a doctor or contained in a pill bottle — this powerful “medicine” called hope.

That’s what Jodi (Meyer) Rathai of Kiester takes with her on her journey as she struggles to fight the multiple forms of cancer she has.

The 46-year-old mother of two has been diagnosed with Stage 4 lung and brain cancer, Stage 2 breast cancer and an undetermined form of cancer found in her back, yet she remains optimistic.

In fact, she feels there is no need for doctors to give her a prognosis.

“It’s not just medicine that can perform miracles. The Lord can make miracles happen, too,” she reported over the phone during one of her radiation treatments.

Friends have come together in support of her and have planned a benefit to help her offset her living and medical expenses because she’s no longer able to work at Minnesota Corrugated Box of Albert Lea.

The benefit will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday at the VFW in Wells. For a donation, participants can enjoy sloppy joes or pork sandwiches, salads and bars.

A silent auction will be from 3 to 7 p.m. with a live auction starting at 7 p.m. A disc jockey will follow these events. Those who would like to donate, but are unable to attend, are encouraged to drop off a donation at any Wells Fargo Bank in care of the Jodi Rathai Benefit Fund.