To say Mary Rendina has dealt with the impact of cancer in her life simply wouldn’t be doing it justice.
Rendina’s daughter was diagnosed with it at age 10. Her mother, grandfather, aunt and uncle all died as a result of cancer. She has seen her friend’s young daughter die from it. Now, she counts numerous friends and relatives as cancer survivors – some enduring the battle more than once.
Rendina, the director of marketing at CAMCO (Complete Association Management Company) has risen to the occasion through her role in the “Power in Purple” campaign to help fight the battle against cancer and through donations and providing community awareness of the programs available through the American Cancer Society.
She is one of about 20 female leaders in the Las Vegas Valley who stepped up to be a part of the campaign being held in 2020 to lead the fight against cancer in their own unique ways. The COVID-19 pandemic certainly hasn’t diminished Rendina’s spirit to get the word out about the resources available to cancer patients and their families.
“It’s so important for people to know about all of the amazing resources and programs that are available to cancer patients and their families,” said Rendina, who previously has served on the board of directors with the Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation. “I’m a very competitive person. When they say there is a need for something, I jump right into it. Power in Purple has an incredible group of women involved. We are striving to get the word out about so many programs that the cancer society has that people may not know about.”
Rendina received the proverbial “gut punch” from cancer when her 10-year-old daughter underwent a biopsy for a tumor on her forearm in August 1999. The results revealed it was malignant, just days before she and her daughter had been shopping for school clothes and gearing up for life in 5th grade.
Two years later, her child had beaten cancer – all the while Rendina and her husband sadly had attended the funerals of so many other children they had met on the oncology ward. Today, her daughter is 31, married, with one child and another due this fall.
Rendina is friends and relatives of numerous other survivors. Even today, her mother-in-law is enduring a second bought of breast cancer and is scheduled for surgery in September. With the COVID-19 restrictions, Rendina and her family won’t be able to be present to support her. “That’s really, really tough for us,” she said.
Rendina points to the Power in Purple campaign as a way to share the amazing things and programs that the American Cancer Society provides.
“It’s so important for everyone out there to know there are people who are there to support others,” said Rendina, who strives to do her part in the community and has recently worked with others to provide masks for the homeless during the pandemic. “We’ve all been through it in so many different ways. To be the mother of a child who survives because of the help that an organization like the American Cancer Society provides, is immeasurable. They have come so far in 20 years and have been a big part in the increased survival rate of both children and adults today.”
As part of the Power in Purple campaign, each participant pledges to raise money for the cancer society. Rendina is more than halfway past her fund raising goal. She and her company, CAMCO, had an educational trade show titled “Purple Rain” planned earlier in August to serve as a fundraiser for the campaign, but the pandemic forced its cancellation. Not to be defeated, Rendina and CAMCO have opted to instead produce it as an educational video as an alternate way to get the word out. Filming takes place in early September.
Rendina knows it takes powerful women with powerful voices to make powerful impacts. She’s certainly a part of that distinguished group.
To learn more about Rendina and her Power in Purple campaign, visit http://main.acsevents.org/goto/MaryRendina or call (702) 891-9022 and reference Mary Rendina’s campaign.
