Family compiles cookbook to raise funds

When an area man developed a rare form of cancer, his friends and family decided not to sit idly by. Rather, loved ones of Chad “Butch” Schwank decided to pool their creative resources and compile a cookbook, which they would then sell, raising money to support Schwank’s treatment.

Schwank grew up in Pierce, Neb. Before moving to Montana and is a 1989 graduate of Plains High School. Doctors discovered a tumor in his head that has grown so large that it protrudes from below his ear and into his neck. Because of its size, the tumor is not treatable through surgery. Schwank is currently undergoing chemotherapy at a hospital in Aurora, Colo., as well as an experimental form of radiation therapy in an effort to shrink the tumor. With the help of his mother, Schwank has been traveling between Colorado, Nebraska, and Montana, balancing medical appointments with work and family. Through it all, Schwank has been unable to work, as treatments five days a week in Colorado keep him from his job in Montana.

Schwank’s sister, Melanie Hogendorn, started the idea of selling cookbooks as a way to raise money. She enlisted the help of friends and family to contribute recipes to the book, and was able to complete “Cooking for a Cure.” The books are available in Plains at Garden Gifts, and all of the proceeds go to help with Schwank’s medical and living expenses. The book comes as Hogendorn’s wish to help her brother.

“I wish somehow I could make this go away or fix it, but I can’t,” Hogendorn said. “So I figure the best way I can help at this point is to help him with the expenses he is incurring.”