Relay is Today!

Relay For Life of Lakewood is today! I can't believe it has been a year since I completed my co-chair duties and celebrated the 25th Anniversary of Relay. What a lot of changes a year can bring!

I have enjoyed this last year of Relay so much more than I thought I was going to. It has been liberating to be part of a smaller event that is so focused on the community, teams, survivors and caregivers and focuses on the heart and soul of what Relay is about.

It has been fun to be a captain and team member again and the biggest worry is what is our tent site decoration and activity going to be.

The fact that I'm at work today speaks volumes as to how much things have changed for me. It has been at least 5 years since I have been able to participate in Relay without running around like mad and taking the week leading up to Relay off just to make sure everything is handled.

While I don't regret volunteering as a member of the Leadership Team that planned a large Relay I can't say that I miss being part of it either. I truly love being a strong team member on an active team. (Plus having so much personal time is really such a treat!)

Relay always makes me stop and be thankful for my health and the health of those I love. It makes me think about my Grandma and all the wonderful memories I have. It also makes me think of the final week of her life and how ugly and cruel cancer can be. It makes me think about all the milestones in my life and my sisters life that she is missing out on...sometimes I just want her back so bad it hurts.

But the memories remind me of why I am so passionate about fighting cancer! Every step taken at Relay is taken in support of survivors and their caregivers, every step is taken in memory of my Grandma, and every dollar raised is raised to fight back and put an end to the disease.

There are a lot of people in my life, close friends and family and others on the periphery of my life, that have had cancer scares, diagnosis, treatment, and successful remission. For all of them I walk, for all of them I fight back!