Ted Kim/Billings Open Studio
Ted Kim of Billings Open Studio took a series of photos to promote this Saturday’s match between the Magic City Rollers and the Gallatin Roller Girlz. That’s Lisa Graham in the wheelchair, hamming it up with Blake Eden, in white, and Aubrey Gunter.
Lisa Graham has been a huge fan of roller derby for most of her life. She’s got a ticket stub in her wallet to prove it.
The ticket was for a Jan. 16, 1988, bout between the Los Angeles Thunderbirds and the Detroit Devils at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. The front and back of the ticket bear the autographs of most the L.A. team’s stars.
That day was also her 31st birthday, and she’d been waiting a long time to see a live roller derby bout.
“I had been following roller derby forever,” the Los Angeles native said. “I had wanted to be a roller derby queen forever.”
Now, at 57 years old, suffering from pulmonary fibrosis and able to walk only for short distances, her wish is finally coming true.
She will be skating (with the aid of a wheelchair) in a mock jam Saturday evening with the Magic City Rollers, preceding their last bout of the season against the Gallatin Roller Girlz.
Ed Kemmick/Last Best News
Graham holds the ticket stub for the first live roller derby bout she attended, in 1988.
“Nothing is going to stop me from being in this roller derby,” Graham said. “I don’t care if they have to carry me in on a stretcher.”
Graham was diagnosed with end-stage kidney disease late in 2012 and has been on dialysis three times a week since early in 2013. A friend of hers from Helena, Cindy Farr, had agreed to be a kidney donor, but Graham’s antibodies were too high. In August of this year, she was referred to a pulmonary specialist, who finally discovered that she had a lung disease, pulmonary fibrosis.
She is on oxygen and is continues dialysis, but otherwise her health is good. The doctors tell her she could live for a few more years.
“Until then, I don’t give up easily,” she said.
Meanwhile, about that dream of being a roller derby queen. This fall, while undergoing dialysis, she happened to mention to a nurse, Tony Peterschick, that skating in a roller derby bout was on her bucket list. It was more or less a joke, she said, given her condition.
But it so happened that Peterschick’s future daughter-in-law, Aubrey Gunter, skates with the Magic City Rollers, and he mentioned Graham’s aspirations to her. Gunter then mentioned the idea to Blake Eden.
As Gunter put it, “I brought it to Blake and she just took off with it.”
Graham said the “23” is for her anniversary date, to honor her husband, Gordon, whom she described as “the most amazing human being on the planet.” They have been living in an RV at Cooney Reservoir for a while but will be moving back to Laurel in mid-November.
When Eden talked with the Gallatin Roller Girlz about her idea, they were as enthusiastic as she was and have been talking up the mock jam on their Facebook page. Eden also wrote to DerbySkinz, which sells derby gear, and the company donated a pair of shorts for Graham to wear. The Magic City Rollers got her a jersey and equipment.
Ed Kemmick/Last Best News
Graham was on hand Wednesday evening when the Magic City Rollers practiced at Skate World West.
Another helping hand came from Ted Kim of Billings Open Studio. He donated his time and talents to shoot photos of Graham in full derby regalia, along with Eden and Gunter. One of the photos was used for the poster to promote this Saturday’s bout.
“I was floored,” Eden said. “Obviously, Lisa’s story is incredible, and worth all of it, but I’ve never received such resoundingly positive feedback on anything I’ve tried to promote before.”
Graham was floored, too.
“They’ve been treating me like a rock star,” she said. “It’s amazing.”
Graham said Farr, the friend who was going to donate her kidney, is coming down from Helena for the bout, and her best friend, Robin Appesland, is coming all the way from Washington state.
After the mock jam, Graham will be sitting on the bench with the Magic City Rollers during the competition Saturday.
“It’s like they’re my family,” she said. “They are so genuinely kind-hearted and generous. I’m so proud to be part of the team.”
DETAILS: The Magic City Rollers take on the Gallatin Roller Girlz Saturday night in the MetraPark Pavilion. Doors open at 6 and the action starts at 7. The bout, coincidentally, is also a benefit for Make-A-Wish Montana, meaning a portion of admission proceeds will go to that charitable organization.
