Relay For Life

Yesterday I arrived at the Sherwood High School football field at 10:00 AM to participate in the Relay For Life, an American Cancer Society event. It is an overnight experience designed to bring together those who have been touched by cancer. People from within the community gather to celebrate survivors, remember those lost to cancer, and to fight back against this disease. Relay participants help raise money and awareness to support the American Cancer Society to eliminate cancer. During the Relay For Life events, teams of people gather and take turns walking or running laps. The event is held overnight to represent the fact that cancer never sleeps. Through the survivors' lap and the luminaria ceremony, they honor the people who have faced cancer first hand, and remember those who have died from cancer.

Here are Nancy and I walking with the survivors at the start of the Relay. She is a nurse in the oncology office and a 14 year survivor. It was great meeting her and her husband.

Angela, Denny's niece who is the receptionist for a Meridian Park oncology office, was the captain of our team. This is a picture of her (on the right), me, and Lori (her Mom).........love you two!

The theme this year was, "Places around the world," so the team chose "Oregon" and made this cool banner. Each team had to have at least one team member walking/running on the track during the entire 24 hour period. You could buy white sacks and decorate them to acknowledge the people you know that have had or have cancer. The sacks are then lined up along the track and at 10:30 PM a battery operated candle is lit so they glow in the dark. All the survivors walk one lap around the track together. It is an awesome sight. I wish you could see how beautiful it is when it is dark. It is an awesome experience to be walking at 2:00 AM and looking at the glowing sacks around the entire track. This picture doesn't do it justice.

Here are a few of the sacks that I decorated to honor family or friends who have died from, or once had, or now have, cancer.

The sacks with just the names, (sorry I didn't have pictures of these people) really didn't look this bad when they were on the track. I had their last names on them but when I post names on my blog, I like to use just first names. I would have liked to have had each name on their own sack, but the sacks were $5 each. Kind of sad that I know so many people with cancer, huh?! Plus, I could have named all the gals in my support group instead of just putting the picture of the quilt on the sack......which would have been another 50 people!

Survivors were treated to lunch from Sweet Tomatoes. There was a DJ there, plus live music. There were lots of activities for kids, including a big screen TV and they showed two movies. Different teams sold things (like glow sticks that looked so cool when you were wearing them while you were walking at dark) and there were lots of contests and different activities going on. There were several tents and many people stayed all night. I slept in a lounge chair with a quilt and sleeping bag (but only had about 2 hours sleep!) and some people had their campers and motor homes there. It was well organized and I hope to be able to participate in it next year. I think the grand kids would have fun there, staying all night in a tent, walking at night with the luminary bags, etc. Justin and Vickie took part in a Relay for Life in the Hermiston area last year and liked it also. So, thank you, Angela and the team for allowing me be part of this fun event. I loved it!

Hope all of you had a nice weekend.

Love to you all,

JO