Sequim Gazette staff

Four months ago Dan Spicher, a 22-year-old Port Angeles man, was diagnosed with Stage 4 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

“Angels for Dan,” a group of his very best friends, formed soon after to lend a hand as he goes through the arduous treatment and recovery process.

The Angels are hosting a special fundraising event at the Vern Burton Center gym, 321 E. Fifth St., Port Angeles, on Saturday, Aug. 20. The event, which will run from 6-10:30 p.m., includes a big spaghetti dinner. A DJ will be on hand to spin the tunes, and, “If people are so inclined, they can sing karaoke,” said Misty Palmer, one of the Angels for Dan.

Tickets are going for a suggested donation of $10, with children free.

Those who can’t attend can purchase tickets for those who can’t afford them. “We need to sell 500 more tickets this week,” Palmer said.

To raise additional funds, there will be a silent auction and a live auction, with nice items on the block. That includes two round-trip tickets to Seattle on Kenmore Air, a dinner cruise for two on Expeditions Express, Seahawks tickets, a baby grand piano and more.

Michelle Maike, Dan’s stepmom, said the funds will be used “to make life easier” for the young couple, who have already amassed substantial medical expenses and who are struggling to meet the monthly bills.

Palmer said, “Dan cannot work and Jessie must take much time off to care for him after each chemo treatment. They also need money to keep the roof over their heads.”

“We need to help until he gets better,” Maike said. “And he will get better.”

The family tree

The Spicher family is well known on the peninsula. Dan’s father is Tad Spicher, his mother is Siouxsie Spicher.

Dan’s wife Jessie is the daughter of fallen deputy Wally Davis.

Jessie has had her own tough recent history: She lost her mother just eight months prior to losing her father. She was 14 at the time.

Dan and Jessie “married last August and are now engaged in a battle” with Dan’s cancer, Palmer said.

For more information on the event, and on Angels for Dan, call Maike at 457-9766.