Former Anoka tea shop owner volunteers for Rein in Sarcoma event

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by Tammy Sakry
Staff Writer

Since selling the Mad Hatter Tea Shop in January, Linda Pomeroy has been doing the normal retirement activities. For the most part.

The Anoka resident gets together with her girlfriends for lunch, occasionally baby-sits her grandchildren in Wisconsin and she volunteers.

But Pomeroy has been donating a lot of her time to the 11th annual Karen Wyckoff Rein in Sarcoma Foundation’s Party in the Park event, being held at the Cafesjian carousel in Como Park July 25.

The Karen Wyckoff Rein in Sarcoma Foundation was founded in 2001; the Rein in Sarcoma Foundation raises awareness and money for sarcoma research as well provides education and support for people that have sarcoma.

After losing her daughter Andrea in October 2010 to leiomyosarcoma, a rare cancer of the smooth muscles, Pomeroy wanted to do something to help other people.

“I don’t want other people to go through what I’ve been through – it has been a very difficult experience,” she said.

While a cure for the rare and aggressive sarcoma cancers may not be right around the corner, “every little thing we are doing will help,” Pomeroy said.

Shortly before her death, Andrea attended the 2010 Party in the Park with her mother.

Finding out about the event was a fluke, according to Pomeroy.

She was in CVS Pharmacy picking up a prescription and when she put on her glasses to sign the receipt, Pomeroy saw the word “sarcoma” on the event flyer, she said.

After reading about the event, the pair made a reservation for the luncheon.

Since then, Pomeroy has received a few mailings for them, but that was as far as it went.

Andrea, a 1990 Blaine High School graduate, died Oct. 28, 2010, a little over a year after being diagnosed with leiomyosarcoma.

Her cancer was rare and usually occurs in women in the 50s or 60s. It occurs in four people in a million, Pomeroy said.

Pomeroy sold the Anoka tea shop in January.

The shop was a dream she and Andrea shared and it was painful to be there without her, Pomeroy said.

Following Andrea’s death, Pomeroy had given little thought to the Rein in Sarcoma Foundation.

One day while collecting the mail at Andrea’s Blaine townhouse, there was a letter from the foundation asking for volunteers.

Pomeroy, along with husband Rick, attended a volunteers meeting.

“I really got involved in March,” said Pomeroy, who fought her own non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma into remission nearly three years ago.

While attending the meeting, “I knew it was my next calling,” she said.

Originally, Pomeroy thought she would only work on fund-raising, but, with a little persuading, she volunteered as the silent auction co-chairperson. “I am learning a lot,” she said.

Even though computers are not her strong suit, Pomeroy is learning about data bases and ways to log all the donations into the system.

As the event gets closer, Pomeroy will be spending about 30-40 hours a week organizing the silent auction items.

The Anoka merchants have very generously donated to the auction, Pomeroy said.

Selah Salon and Spa stylists have donated eight gift certificates alone, she said.

“It’s been overwhelming,” Pomeroy said.

Working with the Rein in Sarcoma Foundation “makes me feel good to be able to do something to impact the lives of others in a positive way,” she said.

“I think Andrea would be proud that I am doing this.”

“Andrea always said that breast cancer gets all the attention, but ‘what about cancers like mine, that are so rare and aggressive.’”

“This is something she would want me to do.”

Tammy Sakry is at tammy.sakry@ecm-inc.com