Mercy Health Foundation’s Charity Bash Raises Nearly $90,000 for Cancer Care

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Mercy Health Foundation’s Charity Bash Raises Nearly $90,000 for Cancer Care

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Ettie Berneking

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Phone: 417-820-2008

Cell: 573-529-4845

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At this year’s Mercy Health Foundation Lebanon Tree of Hope Charity Bash, when Brooke Lowe shared her story of battling cancer twice, she listed all the Mercy caregivers who help bring her hope and laughter when she receives treatment at Mercy’s Curry Cancer Center in Lebanon. Lowe also shared another deeply personal experience – her daughter’s battle with cancer.

The Tree of Hope Charity Bash has been going on for more than 20 years and helps raise money for patient care at Mercy Lebanon.

In 2009, Brooke was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Then in 2024, she learned she had breast cancer, which runs in her family. In 2025, the unthinkable happened. Brooke’s 15-year-old daughter Preslie was diagnosed with bone cancer.

Access to cancer treatments in Lebanon means Brooke and Preslie can get the care they need closer to home and travel to out-of-town specialists less frequently. Their experiences illustrate the kind of care the Curry Cancer Center offers the Lebanon community.

Mercy’s Curry Cancer Center welcomed its first patients in 2008. Patients can see their oncologist, receive chemotherapy and immunotherapy treatments, get lab work done and much more. What sets the Curry Cancer Center apart is the fact that patients do not have to be seen by a Mercy provider to receive treatment.

“The Curry Cancer Center allows non-Mercy provider referrals to send orders to our location, so local community members do not have to travel to Springfield, Kansas City, St. Louis or Columbia to receive their infusion therapy,” said Jason Purcell, director of oncology at Mercy Hospital Lebanon.

Last month’s Tree of Hope Charity Bash raised more than $88,000, and proceeds will go toward upgrades of the Curry Cancer Center, which celebrated 21 years of caring for patients across the Lebanon area.

“This annual event has made such a big impact on our community ever since its inception,” said Karen Simpson-Neasby, executive director of Mercy Health Foundation Lebanon. “Proceeds have helped Mercy expand its labor and delivery department, covered the cost of medications and transportation for patients, allowed us to enhance facilities and provide a calming and safe environment for those we care for, and it’s once again helping us ensure we continue to provide cancer care for patients in our community. Over the 21 years that we have been hosting this annual charity bash, we have seen our community come together to support one another time and time again. This year, our community said yes to supporting cancer care, and yes to supporting their neighbors, friends and family.”

Mercy, one of the 15 largest U.S. health systems and named the top large system in the U.S. for excellent patient experience by NRC Health, serves millions annually with nationally recognized care and one of the nation’s largest and highest performing Accountable Care Organizations in quality and cost. Mercy is a highly integrated, multi-state health care system including 55 acute care and specialty (heart, children’s, orthopedic and rehab) hospitals, convenient and urgent care locations, imaging centers and pharmacies. Mercy has over 1,000 physician practice locations and outpatient facilities, more than 5,000 physicians and advanced practitioners and more than 50,000 caregivers serving patients and families across Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Mercy also has clinics, outpatient services and outreach ministries in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. In fiscal year 2025 alone, Mercy provided more than half a billion dollars of free care and other community benefits, including traditional charity care and unreimbursed Medicaid.