Spencer woman's courage lives on through family

(Photo by Michael Fisher) Jessica Odor was part of the leadership team at Friday's 2009 Clay County Relay for Life. She helped raise funds for cancer research in honor of her mom, Lauri Odor, who passed away on March 7, 2008.

Lauri Odor put it right in her obituary.

"She feels she has been very blessed in life," it said.

Blessed by her family.

Blessed to have so many good friends.

Blessed even by the kindness of strangers.

So, when Lauri's daughter Jessica Odor walked the footpaths at the Clay County Fairgrounds as part of the 2009 American Cancer Society Relay for Life, there may have been a tear or two among the raindrops on a Friday night.

But mostly, Jessica smiled as she talked about her mom and remembered the rule made during those final days at Spencer Hospital.

"You can come in, we can cry about it, then we're moving on," Jessica said. "She didn't want to dwell on the fact that she was passing away."

Lauri was a 57-year-old, empty-nester when she went in for an exam after experiencing signs of jaundice, a yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes.

The family was hopeful after the initial exam. "They thought, at first, that she had a gallstone that got stuck," Jessica recalls. Additional testing revealed pancreatic cancer in May 2007.

The disease is especially difficult to detect and once symptoms emerge, it's often too far advanced to overcome. Jessica has come to learn that 75 percent of people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer die within a year of the diagnosis.

Lauri fought for 9 months, including a Whipple procedure at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. As part of the process, surgeons remove a portion of the pancreas and realign the digestive tract in an effort to eliminate the cancerous cells.

Jessica left her life in Cedar Falls behind to be with her mom.

"Then, in February of last year, is when we found out she wasn't going to make it," Jessica said.

Lauri was surrounded by family in the final month of her life. At times, they had to turn away the many visitors who came to check on a woman with a far-reaching influence in her community.

Lauri worked as a legal assistant at the Hemphill law office for 21 years and was an active member of the First Congregational Church. She was a talented singer who shared her gift with choir and youth organizations.

She passed away March 7, 2008.

"My mom was an amazing lady," Jessica said. "Her spirit was never broken and her faith was always there. She knew it was time to go."

Jessica and her brother, Ryan still live at home with their father, Jon. Another older brother, Josh, lives in Chicago.

(Photo by Michael Fisher)

And there's a new voice in the Odor household. Jessica learned she was pregnant with the family's first grandchild the day before her mother passed away. Jessica's daughter, Elizabeth, has her grandma's eyes.

"At times, it's so funny with my daughter," Jessica said. "She'll look off into space and start laughing. It's those moments I feel like my mom is there with her."

Jessica's role as Survivor Chairwoman for the Clay County Relay for Life is another way Lauri's spirit lives on.

"I needed to get out there and do more," Jessica explained.

More 100 survivors came out for the Relay for Life and joined a record number of fundraising teams for the event.

"They're still walking in the rain, and it isn't phasing anyone," Jessica said.

Friday was a day for Lauri to be remembered by her family, remembered by her good friends.

And remembered with the kindness of strangers.