Crissy and Jimmy Hajkowski Fight the Fight

Crissy and Jimmy Hajkowski are this year’s American Cancer Society Relay for Life grand marshals in Mahopac. Eric Gross Crissy and Jimmy Hajkowski fight the fight against cancer each and every day.

The Patterson couple has been named as honorary chairs of this year’s Relay for Life 24-hour fundraiser planned for June 5 and 6 at Mahopac High School which is often called Putnam’s most moving and spiritual event.

Thanks to the efforts of the Putnam Chapter of the American Cancer Society and a group of residents in northern Putnam, the Relay for Life is expanding this year to Patterson where a 12-hour relay is scheduled for June 12 from 12 noon to 12 midnight at the Patterson FD headquarters.

A kick off for both relays is planned for next Thursday at the Mahopac Golf Club.

For Crissy and Jimmy, Relay for Life is more than a fundraiser. It is a life changing experience. Crissy, 33, suffers from multiple myeloma—a bone marrow based cancer— that has caused tumors in her bones. “My physicians tell me I’ll be living with this for the rest of my life. I undergo radiation and have chemotherapy to look forward to in the future, along with bone marrow transplants,” she said.

Crissy was diagnosed in 2003 after a tumor in her femur grew so large that it destroyed her bone. The leg was saved following intricate surgery that replaced the limb with rods, bone cement and other medical miracles.

As Willa Wright, executive director of the Putnam Chapter of the American Cancer Society put it: “At relay, every person in the community has a chance to celebrate, remember and fight back.”

Relay starts with a survivor’s lap— an inspirational time when survivors are invited to circle the track and help everyone celebrate the victories achieved over cancer.

Crissy and Jimmy will be walking this year as will Barbara Gross of Carmel who three years ago lit the Relay torch alongside Cindy Covell of Patterson. Gross, a teacher and pancreatic cancer survivor, described the moment as “extremely emotional. I have never forgotten that moment especially since Cindy last year lost her battle to this dreaded disease that has affected every family in Putnam County.”

The Hajkowskis are also deeply moved that they were asked to serve as this year’s honored couple.

Crissy admitted she knew nothing about cancer until she met her husband nine years ago: “Jimmy’s own battle has given me strength.”

Jimmy is a 33-year cancer survivor having been born with a disease called bi-lateral retinal blastoma—a cancer of the eyes. His malignancy was diagnosed when he was only 18 months old. As a baby, Jimmy underwent chemotherapy and radiation and even surgeries: “I made it through and here I am 33 years later, cancer-free, fighting another battle with the love of my life.”

Crissy said she and Jimmy don’t have a “normal life since tons of time is spent at hospitals and doctors’ offices. Sacrifices have been made—sacrifices that only a cancer survivor would understand.”

Crissy and Jimmy admit being frustrated and discouraged every now and then. “I get sick of doctors and being jabbed and poked and prodded but never ask ‘why me?’ My faith has gotten me through so much. I don’t consider myself religious— spiritual perhaps—but I believe that God has put me in a position to serve others.”

Both Crissy and Jimmy call Relay for Life “our year’s most important project. It is our passion and it gets us through the year.”

Crissy said the creation of the Patterson Relay was the icing on the cake because Patterson is their community: “I will never leave the Mahopac Relay, but Jimmy and I will be attending both events because Relay people understand the frustrations and joys of being a caregiver, since the effects of cancer reach far beyond the person diagnosed.”

Both Crissy and Jimmy agreed that the luminaries ceremony that takes place on the track after dark which pays tribute to those who have lost the battle while honoring those who have been touched by cancer was the most moving event of the year in Putnam County. Candles are lit inside bags filled with sand—each one bearing the name of a person touched with cancer. Participants walk a lap in silence.

Crissy described the event as being “sacred. To see the track lit up with the names of survivors and those who lost the battle is the most amazing sight.”

Lastly, there is a Fight Back ceremony where a personal commitment is made to save lives by taking up the fight against cancer. Crissy said “by taking action, people are personally taking steps to save lives and fight back against a disease that takes so much.”

Crissy added: “If I could get paid to relay, I’d be a millionaire because I’d relay 12 months a year.”

Those wishing to become involved in either relay are asked to call the American Cancer Society in Mahopac at 628-2003 or to stop off at the kickoff event next Thursday from 6:30-8:30pm.