The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Even without his outrageous costume, Cliff Melnick comes pretty close to being a superhero. The Flin Flon retiree has annihilated cancer not once, not twice, but three times over the last five years. 'I'd say fantastic,' says Melnick when asked how he feels about his impressive feat. Though he has been cancer-free for 15 months, Melnick isn't about to let up in his fierce battle. On June 8 he will host a dinner and social to raise money to deal yet another blow the disease. Proceeds from the aptly titled Three in Five Victory Benefit for Cancer will support Melnick at the Underwear Affair fundraising walk in Edmonton on June 15. Melnick will join the walk as his alter ego, Captain Underpants, a cancer-fighting superhero with undies pasted to his night shirt and a cape flowing from his back. This will be Captain Underpants' third time at the Underwear Affair, which targets below-the-belt cancers. Between pledges and fundraisers, he hopes to contribute $10,000 this year. His dinner and social, slated for the Creighton Community Hall, will include cocktails, a buffet supper, live music and much more. 'It's open not just to friends or people who know me,' stresses Melnick, a retired Hudbay purification operator. Melnick has already sold about 100 tickets for the evening, with some 200 remaining at The Orange Toad and Northern Rainbow's End. The evening promises to be a momentous occasion for Melnick, who has triumphed over prostate cancer twice and lymph node cancer once. In the process he has inspired others in their own battles with cancer. But if Melnick and Captain Underpants have their way, there will be no need for inspiration _ because there will be no cancer. (For more information on the June 8 social, or to support Melnick in the Underwear Affair, contact him at 204-687-4135).
