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Topley 4-H raises $20K for Houston teen with cancer

A steer auctioned off at the Fall Fair brought in the bulk of the money
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Beyond the screams of children and smell of manure at this year’s Fall Fair, there was something else in the air — hope.

After Houston teen Landon Thiessen was diagnosed in March with Stage 4 Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare type of bone cancer, the Topley 4-H club knew it was time to step up.

The group was already raising a charity steer to auction off at this year’s Fall Fair in Smithers, and when they discussed exactly where they’d donate the money, the answer was unanimous: Landon.

“The [4-H] kids really want to support another youth in our community, so they want all the funds to go to him to help him through it,” Siemens previously told Black Press.

The group’s offering — a 1,423-pound steer named Sir Loin 901 — was auctioned off at the fair with West Fraser Concrete putting in the winning bid.

The steer was auctioned off for $7.50/lb for a grand total of a little over $10,000.

READ MORE: 4-H club to raise money for Houston teen

Siemens told The Interior News they aren’t sure exactly how much money was raised, but the total is well over $20,000.

Though the bulk of that cash comes from the sale of Sir Loin 901, Siemens added she was blown away by the number of people who stopped by the fair to pass along their well wishes to Thiessen and donate to the cause.

Thiessen’s family echoed the sentiment.

“On behalf of Landon and all of our family, all I can say is … thank you. I don’t know how to get words to paint out what this is like,” said Thiessen’s father Jerry in a post on the Topley 4-H’s Facebook page.

“Our members and families were amazed by the support this Valley showed. We are so glad we could make this happen,” Siemens responded.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the Thiessen family.”

As of August 5, he had completed 10 rounds of chemotherapy and has had 25 sessions of radiation, with four more rounds of chemotherapy expected.

Except for two short visits home, Thiessen has been in Vancouver Children’s Hospital since the middle of February.

He is expected to stay there until at least October.