Loggers paint timber harvester pink to raise funds to fight cancer

Dustin Marquis looks pretty good in pink.

Good thing, too, since the 29-year-old northern Maine logger is going to be spending a big chunk of time surrounded by the color after painting his Tigercat feller buncher timber harvester bright pink as a quirky way to bring attention to a very serious cause.

“I was listening to people talking about someone being diagnosed with cancer not long ago,” Marquis said during an informal gathering at the pink machine Friday morning. “I went home and told my wife I could not imagine having to explain a cancer diagnosis to our kids.”

After hearing about more and more people in the area dealing with cancer, he decided to do something about it.

“I wanted to do something to give back to the area,” he said. “So I came up with an idea to raise funds based on the hours the feller buncher runs.”

It was a noble notion made more noticeable after Marquis’ employer, Mike Nadeau, owner of White Oak Inc., agreed to paint the giant machine bright pink.

“I have to say, it’s really pink,” Marquis said.

Pink may not be the signature color of loggers, but it is the color most closely associated with cancer awareness, and the feller buncher has already attracted attention from around the region.

“It’s really amazing how many people got involved with this,” Marquis said.

Sponsors and volunteers seemed to come out of the woodwork, all wanting to be a part of the project and the newly created fund-raising organization Loggers for Cancer.  Click here to read the whole story…