Richard Buckhold hooks up his feeding tube and pours the liquid food into it, preparing for another difficult meal. Because of his throat cancer, he requires a special type of canned liquid food that’s not available in any grocery store. Unfortunately, Richard passed away in 2017 due to his disease. According to his brother, Fred Buckhold, before he passed, Richard was a very social person.
“[Richard] loved to go out and converse with people,” Fred said. “[His] throat cancer affected his speech [to] where he really couldn’t talk easily, [and] that affected his whole lifestyle. [The Peregrine Society] provided the cans of food [he needed].
According to the World Cancer Research Fund, this is the reality for 81.1 million people who suffer from throat cancer worldwide. Luara McWay, Patient Service Coordinator, said the purpose of the organization is to provide tangible items and transportation to cancer victims before and after treatment. According to the American Cancer Society, the majority of cancer patients struggle to afford these things after surgeries.
“We help with the nutritional supplement, adult diapers [and] actual [material goods] they need,” McWay said. “Transportation is kind of the same thing, we’re helping them get to and from their treatments.”
The Peregrine Society was started by a handful of women in 1949 who wanted to provide services for patients who could not afford them on their own. Sherry Cunningham, Executive Director, said the main point of this organization is helping those in need. The Peregrine Society hosts a special trip where they take young children with cancer to Branson.
“We’ve been doing [this trip] since 1920, and [it is] the highlight of the year,” Cunningham said. We have activities [and] it’s overall a really good time.”
According to Cunningham, there are many ways to get involved with the Peregrine Society, such as volunteering during trivia night. Another is volunteering during Christmas.
“We’ve got a big Christmas program [where] a number of women make gifts for [the people suffering from cancer],” Cunningham said. “Another way to volunteer is to work in the Peregrine Society’s office. In the past, we’ve had people come in and work in the office, and we’ve also had people who start their own fundraisers for us.”
Fred said he is extremely grateful for the Peregrine Society. He said it has helped Richard in more ways than physical items could.
“[Richard] couldn’t enjoy [people’s] company as much because he wasn’t able to talk, but one of the things he did talk about was the Peregrine Society,” Fred said. “It became a big part of his life because they understood his condition and were able to help him.”
