Published: May 14, 2008 10:43 am            

You can fight cancer taking part in the ‘Relay for Life’

By SUSAN BRITTINGHAM

FEATURES EDITOR

Something about the darkness seems to make thoughts of cancer bigger and more heart-wrenching.

“The night is the worst,” cancer survivor Cathy Good said. “When you first find out you have cancer you feel like ‘That’s it, you’re going to die.’

“And then, when you start your treatments, the nights get even darker. You can’t seem to see the light.

“That’s why we have Relay for Life — at least one member of the team walking all night long.

“And then, in the morning, you see the light in the sky. You have hope again. The sun comes out, you’re over your treatment and you are a survivor.”

This year’s American Cancer Society Relay for Life will be held from 7 p.m. June 27 until 7 a.m. June 28 at Sertoma Field, near Puterbaugh Middle School, which is on East South Avenue.

Luminarias, decorated paper sacks with lighted candles inside them, are among the most visible reminders that people can and do survive cancer.

But, sometimes, no matter how hard a person fights, the battle is lost. The luminarias are there for them, too.

“Sometimes people decorate their own luminarias,” cancer survivor and co-chair Joyce McNally said. “They are for survivors and those who lost their fight with cancer.

“We have the luminaria ceremony at dark and it’s very moving. For some people, it’s the beginning of healing” from the loss of a loved one to cancer.

Teams are being formed right now for Relay for Life, which is the American Cancer Society’s main fundraiser each year. Relay for Life events go on in 19 countries outside the United States. In 2006, more than 500,000 cancer survivors walked the opening lap of Relays in their communities and more than 3.5 million participants joined in the fight.

According to the ACS, more than $2 billion has been raised in the fight against cancer since Relay was first held in 1985.

Where does that money go? “The American Cancer Society is constantly doing research and coming up with new things,” Good said, adding that the ACS was involved in the discovery of the drug Tamoxifen, used to fight breast cancer.

“I took Tamoxifen and I’ve been cancer free for the last five years,” Good said. “The money also goes to buy a case of Boost each month for people undergoing chemotherapy or radiation.

“And, it goes to Road to Recovery, which provides money for treatments plus a gas card for people fighting cancer.”

For more information about the overnight Relay for Life or to purchase a luminaria for a suggested $5 donation, contact Good at 302-3823 or Gloria Reeves at 426-5687. Also, visit www.RelayForLife.org.

Contact Susan Brittingham at 421-2029 or e-mail sbrittingham@mcalesternews.com.

        

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