The stories of cancer survivors and caretakers had people wiping away tears.

About 30 people attended the Artful Dodger silent auction and program Saturday afternoon at Decker Auditorium on the Iowa Central Community College campus.

Mary Lundgren took care of her husband who had lung cancer. This November will mark the two-year anniversary of his death.

''You realize how important your family is,'' she said. As a young mother, she said how difficult it was to take care of her sick husband as well as raise a young family.

''I had to be strong for him,'' she said. ''Would I do it over again? Absolutely.''

The open forum of the program was an opportunity for people to share stories from personal experiences, said state Rep. Helen Miller, D-Fort Dodge, chairwoman and founder of Young at Art.

''I really wanted to do this because this kind of dialogue is so important for people to hear from both survivors and caretakers,'' she said.

State Sen. Daryl Beall, D-Fort Dodge, a cancer survivor, was one of the featured speakers.

''It's an interesting way to combine the arts and cancer. The message here is not only about raising funds but also about raising awareness,'' Beall said. ''The consistent message I have heard is that early detection makes all the difference in the world.''

Although the "Time for a Cure" theme for this year's Artful Dodger project was chosen last year, Helen Miller didn't realize at the time how close to home it would hit.

Her husband, Dr. Ed Miller, was diagnosed with colon cancer earlier this year.

Despite how his life has changed from the cancer, he said maintaining a strong support structure of family and friends are what has helped him get through the past few months. Miller is facing seven more chemotherapy treatments and has focused on the positive in the situation.

"There are people in the cancer center who are worse off than I am," he said.

For the caregivers, the theme consistently went back to how quickly they learned what is really important in life.

''You learn to take one day at a time and do whatever is necessary,'' said Mary Schreirer, who has taken care of her husband for many years.

Helen Miller said that as a caretaker, a person cannot stick to business as usual. Despite her career as a public figure, her first priority is her family.

''I had to cancel six trips and totally reorganize my life,'' she said. ''This takes you to another place in life and you find out a lot about yourself.''

The goal of this year's Artful Dodger project was to raise funds for cancer and also to raise awareness of cancer and local resources available for people battling the disease.

"We provide quality cancer care locally," said Rae Anne Frey Marner, manager of Trinity Regional Medical Center's Cancer Center.

"It's not about paperwork or the political stuff that goes on, but it's about taking care of patients and whatever they need help with," she said.

Cheryl Sherry, community relations representative for the American Cancer Society in the region, said the most important thing for people to know is how to get help and support.

''We work closely with Trinity Regional to make sure everyone coming through has information,'' she said. ''We have a Web site and a 24-hour access phone number where people can get help ... if they need to talk to someone, if they have questions about cancer or are caregivers and need support, it is available.''

The 19 clocks decorated by local artists along the ''Time for a Cure'' theme were available for purchase during a silent auction throughout the afternoon. The money raised from the sixth annual event will go toward the new Paula J. Baber Hospice Home, which will have its public opening on Nov. 3, the oncology center at Trinity Regional and to the arts department at Iowa Central Community College, Miller said. The clocks were in the shape of ribbons cut from wood by the inmates the Fort Dodge Correctional Facility and the artists had free range to interpret the theme however they wanted.

Tawny Thoma, Young at Art Artist-in-Residence, had four clocks in the exhibit and has been a caregiver for her mother battling cancer.

''Cancer is something that changes your life,'' she said. ''There may be things that are lost, but there a lot things that can be gained going through something like this.''

Contact Angela Burch at (515) 573-2141 or aburch@messengernews.net