For Simon family, benefit a chance to say thanks for support

Carrie Simon, of Montgomery, went to the doctor in early 2022 thinking it would be a typical doctor visit. In February of 2022, she went through surgery. She and her husband, Russ, believed it was just an ovarian cyst. The doctors thought it was about 18 centimeters, and it ended up being 35 centimeters in diameter and had ruptured.

“Russ knew it was cancer already from the doctors while I was under, but they told me when I woke up. It was pretty gut-wrenching,” she said.

Sunday, April 14, 8 a.m. to noon at the KC Hall in New Prague, Simon and her family will be the guests of honor and beneficiary of the annual Roman Barten Memorial Breakfast, a community gathering to benefit a family in need. The free-will offering breakfast is intended to raise funds to help the family with medical expenses and also to let them know they are supported by their community. This year’s benefit marks the first time an adult is the beneficiary, said Fran Barten, the family matriarch.

(For the complete story, see the April 11 print edition of The New Prague Times and the Montgomery Messenger.)