CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Sharon Hoffmann-Wambold, a massage therapist based in Reinbeck, is an avid participant in athletic events that raise money for Blood Cancer United. Here she is during a recent trip to Argentina.

REINBECK — Cancer. A word no parent wants to hear. But in 1988, Sharon Hoffmann-Wambold learned her daughter Sarah, age 3 at the time, had acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), also called acute lymphocytic leukemia, a type of cancer of the blood and bone marrow. And while Sarah’s disease quickly went into remission, the experience resulted in Hoffmann-Wambold becoming interested in raising money for research through hiking, biking and participating in marathons. She’s recently returned home from a nine-day trip hiking the southern tip of Argentina.

A native of Wisconsin, Hoffmann-Wambold has done massage therapy in town for more than 20 years. She also has a background in teaching and working with the Girl Scouts.

“I started in 2009 with the century bike ride around Lake Tahoe, raising money. We raised like $2 million at that event, it was absolutely amazing. I was hooked with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (now Blood Cancer United),” she said.

Specifically, Team in Training caught her interest. Founded in 1988 by Bruce Cleland (the same year Sarah’s cancer was diagnosed), TNT is a fundraising arm of Blood Cancer United and is an endurance sports training program.

“It’s an opportunity for people to do distance events and raise money. You have coaches that train you in different things, not just hiking, but biking and swimming and triathlons and running, and everything,” she noted. “I’m not a real good trainer. This is maybe a sad commentary, but you know, when you get cancer, you don’t get a whole training session before you undergo your treatment, and so I put myself through a little bit of pain in the event, because you don’t get to train for cancer. So that’s just kind of my own personal thing for sure.”

TNT is now the largest charity endurance training program in the world with more than 650,000 participants who have raised more than $1.5 billion and helped the organization invest almost $1.3 billion in research to advance breakthrough cancer treatments, according to its website.

In a full-circle moment, Hoffmann-Wambold got the opportunity to participate in an event with Cleland and his daughter at Disney World.

Hoffmann-Wambold has done 26 different events, citing life-long athleticism for being able to partake in her 70s. She’s competed in Alaska, Florida, Canada, Washington State, Colorado, Utah, Washington, DC, and other places. She points out there is a minimum level of fundraising you do, plus participants cover their own costs. The goal is to do one event per year, or more.

She said hikes can be condensed for beginners and she and her teammates often stay in hotels rather than camp. She did her first hike in 2018, citing this sport as her favorite.

“It gives you a much better opportunity to be more team-oriented or spend time with people — because you’re on the trail for eight hours with them so you can converse, as opposed to riding your bike zoom zoom or huff and puff doing a marathon or half marathon,” she noted.

Her February trip to Patagonia, Argentina is one of her all-time favorites. Teammates Lois Boxer of Florida and Susan Ellis of Seattle took the trip with her, accompanied by guides to ensure safety.

“I’m a blood cancer survivor too. Sharon is a wonderful teammate who consistently goes out of her way to help others. She has been steadfast in her fundraising efforts over the past 17 years,” Boxer said.

The dinners before the events allow for reflection and pause, where she learns the “why” behind people’s involvement.

“I forget that not everybody has the Cinderella story that we did. People lose their children, they lose their spouses, they lose their parents. And I forget that because my stories have always been good,” Hoffmann-Wambold said. “We were fortunate. We were on the cutting-edge with the treatments my daughter received at the University of Iowa hospital.”

The friendships endure, as does the mission: find a cure for blood cancers.

“But for every sad story, there’s a good story,” she added.

Her next fundraising athletic event will be a hike in Yosemite in June. She hikes with a team based out of Florida called Be Like Bob. She has raised more than $100,000 since her first event. Her ability to contribute financially to the cause is due to the generosity of her community.

“I’m really proud of the fact that a lot of people around here support me with their 10, 15, 25 dollar donations, and they do every year,” she said. “People are like, ‘What are you doing this year? You’re on my radar to send you a donation.’ My donations come from smaller pots, and that’s okay. It makes me happy that these people are all supportive.”

And while her husband Dale has done a few events with her, she’s yet to get daughter Sarah signed up for one. Maybe someday.

“She lives in Austin, Texas, and I did a triathlon down there, and she came and she was a big supporter,” Hoffmann-Wambold said.

She added that there is a “joy” to small town living, especially when it comes to building a support system.

“Whether it was when she was diagnosed in 1988 or now, supporting me in this cause, small towns are pretty nice places to live,” she said.