NORTHAMPTON — When Kristian Kroner was diagnosed with breast cancer on her 46th birthday, Nov. 16, 2015, she made a choice.
Faced with a disease that would require chemotherapy, radiation and even a double mastectomy, Kroner did what seemed impossible.
She decided to stay positive.
“I always felt if you keep yourself in a positive frame of mind, and keep a sense of humor, the body responds better and can heal quicker,” Kroner said. “It helps the people around me, too. When you are diagnosed with cancer, family and friends are scared for you. They see me being positive and it makes them feel better, too.”
And again, Kroner has done what seemed impossible. She organized a team of family, friends and coworkers that raised $12,595.21 by the time Relay For Life of Hampshire County kicked off Friday afternoon.
Of the approximately 85 teams participating in the event, Kroner’s team, “Kristian’s Krazy Adventurers,” is the top fundraiser.
And according event organizer Tom McCusker, the group is the only first-year team to raise more than $5,200 in Hampshire County event’s history.
The 19th annual fundraising walk kicked off with over 800 participants at Look Memorial Park Friday at 3 p.m., aiming to raise $225,000 by Saturday afternoon.
Look Park was abuzz as participants set up tents and walked laps in the afternoon sun, many donning colorful T-shirts to represent their teams as the guitar twang of a live band played in the background. All had the same goal: Raise support, awareness and money for those impacted by cancer.
The walk is one of 6,000 Relay For Life events American Cancer Society puts on every year. Teams of people camp out around a track and take turns walking laps for 24 hours, selling raffle tickets and small items to raise money throughout the event, and enjoying entertainment along the way.
Last year, the Hampshire County fundraiser raised $218,000. By the time the event began Friday, $169,932.17 had been generated, according to the event website.
McCusker, a Relay For Life organizer for 15 years, said he has a feeling the fundraiser will reach its goal because attendance and donations are already “ahead of the game” compared to last year.
And no group is further ahead of the game than the “Kristian’s Krazy Adventurers” team.
Kroner and 17 team members took her diagnosis in stride — literally — as they walked laps around the park.
“This is my first year having a team of my own,” Kroner said. “It’s really been overwhelmingly amazing.”
The group continued raising money during the walk, setting up a “Tiki-Bar” themed campsite and selling small light-up items donated by a vendor that supplies arcade prizes to Interskate 91, a local roller-rink. The team sold lap beads and lanyards to help participants keep track of the distance they’ve walked.
Marylou DeFilippo, 56, is Kroner’s long-time friend. The women are part of a group of eight friends that developed a close bond when they worked at Cooley Dickinson Hospital. Nicknamed “The Lou Crew,” the women rallied around Kroner after her diagnosis and joined her at Relay For Life.
“This is my family, we’re absolutely inseparable,” DeFilippo said by telephone Thursday. “Everybody rallies. There’s always someone there to bring her dinner or be with her for her treatments. This is everything in life. You just do it, you don’t even think twice about it.”
Kroner said she is amazed at the support she has received while battling cancer.
“You have this big group of friends,” Kroner said, “And it’s times like these when they really do come out of the woodwork. I have friends who I wouldn’t even expect bringing me soup after I come home from the hospital. It’s remarkable.”
DeFilippo said what amazes her about Kroner is her positivity and sense of humor despite her illness.
Kroner started a private Facebook group earlier this year called “Kristian’s Crazy Cancer Adventure.” She uses the page to keep friends and family updated about her battle.
She shares the difficult aspects of her illness, like losing her hair due to chemotherapy, which she said is one of the hardest parts of the experience, but focuses on light-hearted moments of her life, like frying her blonde wig by mistake when taking a tray of French fries out of the oven.
“Straight cut to crinkle cut in 1.2 seconds … and I’m not talking about the fries,” Kroner wrote in one post, attaching a photo to show the damage to the wig.
Since the group was created, 191 people have joined from across the country and the United Kingdom to keep tabs on Kroner’s progress and offer messages of support.
“I try to put a humorous spin on it, I always try to give an update and a funny outtake,” Kroner said. “I always sign my posts, ‘Stay tuned and stay positive.’”
DeFilippo said she “can’t help but crack up” at Kroner’s posts, but she was brought to tears when she spoke about her friend’s enduring spirit. “She shows people you can live with cancer and not die from it. Positivity is everything,” DeFilippo said, her voice quavering. “She’s taught me a lot about life, let’s just say that.”