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Just about everyone knows someone who has been stricken with cancer.
With cancer comes many things – uncertainty, fear, hopelessness, physical ailments, and, for some, utter despair.
Hopefully, cancer patients have a support system – family members, friends and fellow cancer survivors who can help them to deal with such an incredible burden.
That sense of camaraderie, that sense of caring for one another is what helped to inspire Relay For Life, the volunteer-driven fundraising event of the American Cancer Society that takes place each summer in communities throughout the United States.
Ottawa County recently hosted its Relay For Life event at Oak Harbor High School.
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| The Ottawa County Relay for Life is one of several relay events held throughout Northwest Ohio each year. The event, held in communities across the globe, is designed to give participants a way to celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost and fight back against the disease. (Photo by Lisa Striker) |
The first Relay For Life took place 25 years ago in 1986. It was inspired by Dr. Gordon Klatt, a colorectal surgeon from Tacoma, Wash., who, in May 1985, decided that he wanted to raise money for the American Cancer Society in honor of his patients.
For 24 hours, Klatt walked around the track at Baker Stadium at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma. His friends paid money to walk or run with him. When the event was finished, Klatt had walked approximately 83 miles and raised $27,000 to fight cancer. The following year, he recruited a small group of people and put on the first Relay For Life event.
Since then, Relay For Life has blossomed. In fact, it is estimated that nearly 4 million people participate in Relay events in roughly 5,000 communities in the U.S. Thus far, it’s been estimated that Relay For Life events have raised over $3 billion in funds for cancer research.
Organizers and participants alike say Relay For Life is a special event, not just because of the money that is raised, but also because of the camaraderie among the people attending the function.
It is also an experience that helps to raise awareness about cancer, to celebrate those who are living with the disease and to remember those who have lost their lives to the illness.
Most importantly the gathering gives cancer survivors a sense of belonging and hope.
The Oak Harbor relay lasted for 18 hours, from 6 p.m. on a Friday evening until noon on Saturday. It was estimated that approximately 300 people showed up to the event.
It began, as all Relay events do, with the Survivor’s Lap, where cancer survivors, with spectators watching and cheering them, take a lap around the track to signify that the festivities are underway.
Throughout the evening, a hodgepodge of entertaining events took place, including “Project Runway” – an event where contestants wore outfits made out of newspapers; the “Ms. Relay” event, where men dressed up as women in the hopes of raising money; musical entertainment, a silent auction, a pizza party and a DJ who played music throughout the night.
In the late evening, a luminary service offered the chance to honor those who have lost their cancer battle, someone who is cancer-free and those who are still living with the illness.
“It’s a way to honor and remember those involved,” said Pam Winters, an Oak Harbor resident who served as one of the chairs of the event. “It’s very solemn, lots of tears; a bagpipe was played while everyone had a moment of silence.”
The fact that the event takes places overnight is symbolic of the fight people face when dealing with cancer. Winters described it like this:
“In the evening, it is similar to when a person finds out he or she has cancer – the thinking is, ‘I can beat this.’ At 2 a.m., 4 a.m., however, you just want to go home, you just want to go to sleep – you’re tired, you’re sick and you want to give up.
“At the end, however, when the sun rises, it is symbolic that the person with cancer has finished his/her treatment or who now is cancer-free,” she said.
For Winters, the cause is dear to her heart because her sister, Cecilia Solomone, 54, a widowed mother who lives in Erie, Pa., has battled cancer four times. Solomone recently discovered a lump on her neck, creating some uncertainty and serving as an indication that the fight will have to endure, her sister said.
While Solomone is still fighting the fight, another one of Winters’ relatives was not so fortunate.
Winters’ nephew, Jamie Fairbanks, a 25-year old who lived in Wayne and worked as a manager for the Wood County Humane Society, recently passed away from bone cancer, leaving behind a wife and an 18-month old son.
In the end, Winters summed up why the event is so special and why people engage themselves in the fight against cancer.
“It’s always done with camaraderie, in good fellowship,” she said. “We’re not out there to one-up someone. We all have friends and loved ones with cancer, we’re doing it in loving memory of them.
“When you see survivors there, you realize that’s why you’re there,” she said.
For more information on how to become involved with Relay For Life or to make a donation, please visit www.relayforlife.org.
Photo by Lisa Striker.
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