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West Milford Family Carries On Late Teacher’s Dream To ‘Help The Next Guy’

WEST MILFORD, N.J. – When Danny Kane of West Milford was fighting mantel cell lymphoma, he underwent experimental treatments and took part in clinical trials.

The Kane family of West Milford organizes the Irish Whisper Walk of Hope each Spring to raise money for the Lymphoma Research Foundation.

The Kane family of West Milford organizes the Irish Whisper Walk of Hope each Spring to raise money for the Lymphoma Research Foundation.

Photo Credit: Tricia Graney
Danny Kane of West Milford is pictured with his wife Patti and children Daniel, Kathleen and Tricia.

Danny Kane of West Milford is pictured with his wife Patti and children Daniel, Kathleen and Tricia.

Photo Credit: Tricia Graney
Walkers take to the streets of Pinecliff during a past Irish Whisper Walk of Hope.

Walkers take to the streets of Pinecliff during a past Irish Whisper Walk of Hope.

Photo Credit: Tricia Graney
Patti Kane and Danny Kane pose together.

Patti Kane and Danny Kane pose together.

Photo Credit: Tricia Kane

The longtime teacher and coach at West Milford’s Macopin Middle School hoped doctors and researchers would learn from his case, make advances, and ultimately be able to help the next person diagnosed with the disease, explained his daughter Tricia Graney.

Kane believed, “’the whole point is for me to be able to help the next guy,’” Graney said, of her father who passed away in 2009 at 57 years old.

“So, our whole efforts are making my dad’s dream come true to help the next guy,” she said.

In 2009, Graney, her mother Patti, brother Daniel, sister Kathleen and a committee of volunteers organized the first Irish Whisper Walk of Hope in West Milford’s Pinecliff Lake community.

Each Spring, hundreds of people wearing green take to the streets of Pinecliff – where Kane lived most of his life -- to participate in the walk to raise money for the Lymphoma Research Foundation.

The foundation with a mission to eradicate lymphoma and serve those touched by the disease is “the nation's largest non-profit organization devoted exclusively to funding innovative lymphoma research and providing people with lymphoma and healthcare professionals with up-to-date information about this type of cancer,” according to its website.

When her father was diagnosed, the organization was “the first to provide information and support about a disease that we didn’t know anything about,” Graney said.

Over the years, the Irish Whisper Walk of Hope has raised over $300,000 for the organization, Graney said.

The 8th Annual Irish Whisper Walk of Hope will take place on Saturday, April 29. Registration begins at 9 a.m. at the Pinecliff Lake Clubhouse, 1577 Union Valley Rd., in West Milford, and the walk starts at 10 a.m. The event also features a tricky tray.

Graney expects that not just people who were impacted by her father’s life will attend, but also some who never met him. 

“Because it’s our eighth year, people who didn’t even have the opportunity to meet my father are coming out to support raising funds for research,” she said.

TO DONATE OR REGISTER FOR THE WALK, CLICK HERE.

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