Photo by Brittany Sandate
Family and friends of the late Doris Sandate have organized the Dancing for Doris Dance Fitness Charity Event, scheduled for Saturday, April 2, 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. at the Murphy Community Center, 205 Murphy Rd. in Murphy. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. The fundraiser will help support the WAWELA Cancer Support Center and help offset the family’s medical expenses. The event is open to the public ages 10 and up.
Doris Sandate was born June 16, 1943 in Waconia, Minn. In the early 1970s, she moved to Garland where she met her future husband, Juan. In 1982 Doris and Juan married. For the next three decades Garland was home and where they raised their family; taking their children on vacations to visit Doris’ family in Waconia and Juan’s in Mexico. Employed by Texas Instruments and later retired from Raytheon after it acquired and merged with TI, Doris enjoyed her free time with friends, playing computer games and crocheting. Additionally, Doris and Juan were league members of Rowlett’s Bowl-A-Rama, where management and league members considered the Sandates family.
In July 2009, Doris was informed she had a small tumor on her breast. It was also discovered that the breast cancer had traveled down into her liver and further tests concluded several tumors on her liver. Doris was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer of the liver. Doris never gave up and began her long, uphill battle with radiation and chemotherapy treatments. In 2011 she received news that her breast cancer was dormant, however, in 2014 the tumors on her liver returned.
Sadly, October 3, 2015, after a six-year fight, Doris passed away, succumbing to the breast cancer on her liver. The WAWELA Cancer Support Center assisted the family with a monetary donation and a remembrance bracelet for Doris’ daughter, Brittany Sandate, a licensed dance fitness instructor and organizer of this event.
“I wanted to do something in my mom’s memory, and she was happiest when I was dancing,” said Brittany.
A caring and generous woman, Doris was often in attendance at dance fitness charity events in the DFW and surrounding areas, supporting others and their causes.
“Hosting this event in her memory is something she would have loved,” added Brittany. “Every time I would attend a dance fitness charity event, people always asked if my mom and dad would be there, they had more friends in the dance fitness community than I did.”
The Dancing for Doris Dance Fitness Charity Event is being conducted in part to support the WAWELA Cancer Support Center. The goal at WAWELA is to bring hope to families affected by cancer and providing tangible resources for patients who are waiting for a cure. (2/8 www.wawela.org).
“We work with those in need, those who are underprivileged, and those who are underserved to rebuild and restructure,” said CEO/CoFounder Patricia Hudson-McCoy. “Our focus lies on community efforts, including community awareness, health and wellness educational seminars and training.”
In keeping with WAWELA’s mission, Sandate, along with local and DFW-area certified fitness instructors, have volunteered their time to help in this cause. Teams of instructors will lead participants in two hours of dance fitness fun, while promoting the health benefits obtained through various forms of dance fitness.
Tickets for the event are: $15 advance, $17 online https://www.facebook.com/events/757152411085302/ and $20 at the door. Percentage of proceeds will go directly to WAWELA Cancer Support Center. For more event information, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/757152411085302/. For information on WAWELA, visit http://www.wawela.org/welcome.html.