World Photo by Jolene Guzman Malati Lindh, who is battling colon cancer, will be the beneficiary of the Messerle family's fundraising barn sale on June 6-7.

Malati Lindh likes to sing and dance with her children. She has a goal to go on a vacation with her family. Another is to visit India, where she was born. But first Lindh must win a battle against colon cancer.

Born in Calcutta, India, the Coos Bay woman's family brought her here when she was 4 months old. She grew up going to Bunker Hill Elementary School, Millicoma Middle School and graduated from Marshfield High School.

Now 29 years old, Lindh needs help from the community and one family is stepping up to help her. Lindh will be the beneficiary of this year's Messerle Barn Sale to be held Saturday and Sunday, June 6-7.

Everything was going just about perfectly for Lindh. She met her Swedish husband, Glenn Lindh, on the Internet a couple of years ago. He came to the U.S. in September 2007, they were married and he became stepfather to her two daughters, Shannah, 7, and Niya, 4. Malati is a physical therapy department receptionist at North Bend Medical Center, and Glenn was a tow truck driver and handyman.

In January, everything changed.

Lindh had noticed rectal bleeding on and off for 10 years. Around the end of last year the bleeding increased and her stomach was in knots after eating greasy food. She made an appointment with a doctor.

Her doctor diagnosed her with colon cancer the same day her husband was laid off.

"We were sitting down waiting for me to get X-rays and he was getting called right then," Lindh said. "Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse."

She underwent six weeks of chemotherapy and radiation, then surgery to remove the cancerous areas on April 20.

She plans to continue working full-time, but is scheduled to begin another six weeks of chemotherapy this week. Her days have been up and down.

"I feel really good," Lindh said on her lunch break Friday. "Wednesday I felt really bad. I was so exhausted."

She drove down to Tijuana, Mexico, with her husband and parents on Mother's Day for an appointment at The Biomedical Center, where she learned natural ways to combat cancer.

"It's herbs and a healthy way of eating," Lindh said.

Lindh has become an advocate for colon cancer awareness and recently encouraged two women to get checkups.

Molly Messerle, one of seven Messerle women who have put on the fundraising barn sales for the last six years, said Lindh has made a lifelong impression on her.

"I was amazed at how positive and selfless she was about her situation," Messerle said. "Here she's going through everything she's going through and she wanted to stress helping others."

Messerle's mother-in-law, Anne Messerle, held the first barn sale in 2003 to benefit a friend's husband who had prostate cancer. The tradition has continued on the first weekend every June since her barn is void of hay until July's harvest.

Anne has other reasons for holding the sale, though. Three of her brothers died of cancer. Also, the women have the time since the men and boys in the Messerle family go camping that weekend every year.

Anne says her grandma, Jo Messerle, inspired the rest of the family to become involved.

"She was such a good role model," Anne said. "She was constantly doing things for people in the community."

Most of the smaller items and clothing at the sale sell for 25 cents a piece, and people come back year after year to shop, she said.

"We like the fact that we can help more than just the patient," she said.

All those quarters add up to big dollars - in the thousands. The money will go toward Lindh's medical bills, although she still wants to use some for that family vacation.

"We like no red tape and let them do with it what they see fit and what they need," Anne said. "We know what they're battling, and if we can bring just a smile. ..."