I'm finally involved in a Relay for Life again! For those of you who don't know, Relay for Life is a global fundraising effort in the fight against cancer. Every Relay is made up of teams of community members and I've joined the team that my workplace has put together.
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| I thought I'd share some pictures of Relay from High School. |
In high school, I was a team captain for a Relay team for a couple of years. I loved it. Staying up all night with my friends, walking the high school's track and eating junk food, all the while raising money to help fight cancer. I have great memories of it, and I've wanted to become involved again for years. When I heard that my work was putting a team together, I jumped on the bandwagon immediately. Unfortunately, only a handful of others have jumped, too. I expected to be able to easily convince the friends that I've made here to join me, but I guess not everyone has the same fond memories of Relay for Life that I do. Weird. Nonetheless, I'm still very excited about the whole thing.
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| I don't even remember what year this was.... 2004, maybe? |
Cancer has always been a part of my life. When I was four years old, I lost my paternal grandmother to cancer. I've had friends and extended family members who have battled cancer. My mother is a breast cancer survivor. My maternal grandmother has survived three different types of cancer. And just last June, I lost my father to esophageal cancer. Now, more than ever, I am committed to helping in the fight against it. This opportunity to rejoin the Relay for Life event came at the perfect time.
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| Yes, this is me in High School. With all the snacks within reach, of course. |
I have my own personal fundraising page to help my team, well... raise funds. Every cent goes to the American Cancer Society to help in the fight against cancer. My goal is to raise $500 by May 17th, but deep down I would love for it to be $1000. If anyone reading this can donate anything to help rid the world of cancer, I would be eternally grateful.
You can also dedicate luminarias to the honor or memory of loved ones who are battling or have battled cancer. Luminarias are bags/torches that bear the name of your loved one along with an optional message, and they light the track all night for the people walking in the Relay. Thank you in advance for anything you can give, and to the people who have already helped me to get a step closer to my personal goal.
On a more general note, if anyone out there is interested in learning more about the Relay for Life, or finding one in your area to become involved in, you can get any info you need on the Relay website. Trust me, it is a life-changing event and you can make memories to last a lifetime.
