DECATUR - Bonnie Aukamp, Gloria Russell and Michelle Holsapple have watched cancer devastate their families. But even in the face of the disease that has left them feeling so helpless, the three women have a plan of action to make the world a little bit better for those battling it now and in the future.

In August, Aukamp, 54, and Holsapple, 33, plan to walk in the Chicago Breast Cancer 3 Day, a 60-mile walk that will benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the National Philanthropic Trust Breast Cancer Fund. Because back problems prevent her from doing the three-day walk, Russell, 57, will walk in next week's American Cancer Society Relay for Life.

Aukamp and Russell are sisters, and Holsapple is Aukamp's daughter-in-law.

The women have been working all summer to meet their fundraising goals. They held a rummage sale, sold T-shirts and caramel corn, and gathered donations from friends and co-workers and outside Wal-Mart. With Russell's help, Holsapple and Aukamp have exceeded their combined goal of $4,400 for their walk.

All three said they have been overwhelmed by the generosity the local community has shown.

"There's so many people that just stop and just tell you their story," Aukamp said of a recent fundraising day. "¦ And a lot of people came up to me and said, 'I'm a survivor.' "

One story that bonds Aukamp and Russell in the war they've chosen to wage against cancer is that of their younger sister, Teresa Reynolds, 52, of Centralia.

Reynolds, who has nine children between the ages of 12 and 33, was diagnosed with breast cancer four years ago. What started out as a tender spot that doctors first tried to treat with physical therapy was later revealed to be a cancerous lump.

Reynolds underwent a lumpectomy and removal of the affected lymph nodes, but somehow, during her surgery, a node got missed, said her mother, Ruby Hamm, 80.

A year and a half later, the cancer spread to Reynolds' brain, and after a massive stroke, she has reached the point where her body can't take any more chemotherapy or radiation treatments, her sisters said. They live each day with the knowledge that their sister is not expected to live and the uncertainty as to when the cancer will rob them of her.

Reynolds is paralyzed on the right side of her body and almost completely unable to speak; she lives in a nursing home in Centralia. Her six sisters, her brother and other family members visit often.

Although her communication abilities have been impaired, the tender, funny woman who loves dolls and flowers shines through, Russell said, remembering the way she clung to a bandana-clad stuffed dog Russell gave her.

"Her emotions, her eyes, you know, you can tell the expression on her face," Hamm said.

Aukamp's husband, Roger, 56, was diagnosed two years ago with lymphoma. He went through chemotherapy and is in remission.

"I mean, I had never even had to say the word cancer before in my family much until this," Aukamp said of her loved ones' battles. "So it was like getting used to a whole new word ¦ "

She said she was shocked by the sheer number of people she saw when she went to treatments with her husband.

"I had no idea how many people I knew in there that I didn't even know had cancer," she said.

Holsapple's friend ran the Chicago Marathon for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training several years ago in honor of her own father, who was battling the disease. In 2006, Holsapple ran the race for the same team in honor of her father-in-law.

When Aukamp saw an advertisement for the three-day walk, she said she channeled the inspiration she felt from watching Holsapple run and made the walk their mission to do together in honor of Reynolds.

"I wanted to do something," Aukamp said. "I wanted my energy to go somewhere."

Russell lost her mother-in-law, Carol Russell, in January. Her illness started out with bladder cancer, and after surgery, she went from doing well for several years to being diagnosed with a rapidly growing tumor in her chest. She died nine days after she was diagnosed, Russell said.

"She was very active," she said. "She was a big-time bowler. She loved bowling and loved her family and her grandkids."

Russell now wears her mother-in-law's wedding rings, as if always carrying a piece of the fun-loving woman with her.

More members of their family have been affected. Russell's daughter, Jennifer Parsano, 39, recently was treated for thyroid cancer.

Aukamp said the family is hoping its efforts in the walks will raise money to advance research, diagnostic tools and treatments and someday, she hopes, help find a cure for cancer.

"The other day, Libby asked me, 'When am I going to get cancer?' " Aukamp said of her 5-year-old granddaughter. "And I said, 'Oh, you're not going to get cancer. We're going to raise this money, and hopefully there won't be any more cancer.' "

Annie Getsinger can be reached at agetsinger@herald-review.com or 421-6968.