Race car driver dedicates season to JRMC

A Jamestown driver is using his race car to reduce miles on other people's vehicles.

Brian Hanson Jr. is a regular at Jamestown Speedway. Hanson painted his car purple this year and will be donating the proceeds from sponsorships and ribbon sales to cancer care at Jamestown Regional Medical Center.

For him, the cause is personal.

"My dad had lung cancer twice. And cancer really affects everyone," he said about his desire to give back. Hanson remembers his dad's diagnosis. The first time, Hanson was 6 years old.

Hanson also credits the idea of giving back to his mom Cindy Kutz, a surgical technologist at JRMC.

"I wanted to be kind and generous like she is," Hanson said.

The JRMC Cancer Center opened three years ago in partnership with Sanford Health's Roger Maris Cancer Center. Since then, JRMC has saved 500,000 miles of travel for people from more than 80 communities.

"When we opened, we anticipated offering this community 100 chemotherapy infusions each month," said JRMC Foundation Director Lisa Jackson. "Today, we offer 250 to 300 a month."

Jackson said that for JRMC and the cancer patients it serves, Hanson is an inspiration.

"Brian and our region rallied to make cancer care possible," she said. "It is a hard battle to fight, but people like Brian and so many others in the region demonstrate that no one is on this road alone. At JRMC, we know that care is better to close to home. Reducing travel means less wear and tear on a vehicle and our bodies."

"I'm without words," he said as he adhered $810 worth of $5 ribbon stickers to the vehicle's roof.

So far, Hanson has raised about $1,700.

Hanson's first race is Thursday at the Tri-County Speedway in Wishek, North Dakota.

To learn more about the JRMC Cancer Center, visit jrmcnd.com/cancer. To support the cause, visit jrmcnd.com/giving.

Ryan-Anderson is marketing manager for Jamestown Regional Medical Center.