IBERIA PARISH — Friday morning, volunteers with the Lydia Cancer Association gathered at Weeks Park to prepare for their biggest fundraiser of the year—the Lydia Cajun Food Fest, set for Saturday.
The association began as a Relay for Life team in 1998 and has since grown into a nonprofit organization offering financial assistance to cancer patients across Iberia, St. Mary, St. Martin, and Vermilion parishes.
Dianne LeBlanc, an outreach member, said the group has raised and distributed more than $900,000 so far this year. Their goal is to reach the $1 million mark before 2025 comes to a close.
“It’s not a lot that we give them— our qualifications, the number of months, and the amount of money we’re able to provide all depend on our funds,” LeBlanc said. “But the little bit we do can feel like a thousand dollars to them. It’s amazing, the feedback we get from those people. It’s very, very gratifying.”
For cancer survivors like Wayne Hollier, the assistance goes beyond finances. He said the sense of community and understanding is just as impactful.
“Well, the thing that helped me the most is being in this organization, Lydia Cancer. People could relate to me, even if their cancer wasn’t the same as mine. They told me what to expect— some of the side effects of chemo, the sicknesses, what it’s like at home. That helped me a lot,” Hollier said.
He recalled drawing strength from the courage of others fighting cancer, including a friend’s 3-year-old grandson, John Luke.
“He was always positive,” Hollier said. “So John Luke became my mentor. I said, man, if a 3-year-old can go through this way worse than I am, and has no knowledge of what he’s really fighting— if he could go through it, I could go through it.”
The Lydia Cajun Food Fest opens at 9:00 Saturday morning at Weeks Park, offering seafood, Cajun specialties, music, and family fun. Proceeds will go directly to cancer patients in Acadiana.
