Relay For Life

Survivor speech at Green Valley/ Sahuarita Relay for Life 2012

      I have always wanted to get involved with some type of charity work, find a cause, have a purpose. Well, this year I found mine. In January of 2010, I was diagnosed with a malignant Giant Cell Tumor of the spine. This was not the first time that I had had this tumor, but it was the first time that I had been told it was cancer. I had already had two surgeries in 2007 to remove the first tumor and now I was about to begin the process all over again. Although this time it would not be as easy.
        My battle with cancer has been the single most difficult thing I've had to deal with in my life. At one point, I even had to fight this illness while my husband was deployed. But I'm not here to talk about the bad things in my life.


     This year, my family and I decided that we were going to form a team for the Relay for Life event. We had talked about doing it the year prior, but I was too sick to participate. If you are not familiar with Relay for Life, I'll tell you a little about it. Relay is an overnight event (usually 24 hours, but if that is not possible, it has to go at least through the night). Cancer doesn't sleep, so for one night, neither do we. Each team tries to raise as much money as they can, with all monies going to the American Cancer Society. The night of the event each team sets up their booth (we did face painting), pitches some tents and gets ready to spend some time getting to know cancer survivors, camping out, raising money, and having fun. Unlike other walks, team members do not all walk at the same time. Teams split up into shifts and have at least on team member on the track at all times throughout the night. This starts getting more difficult after 2am. (Although the teenagers sure don't mind walking at that time). After the sun goes down, there is a luminaria ceremony. During this time, bags that had been decorated in honor of loved ones who are battling cancer, or in remembrance of those who have died from cancer are lit up around the track and all the names of those being honored are read.

Goal thermometer. We ended up at $5,601!

     I had never done anything like this before and had no idea how to begin. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to get anyone to join our team or that we would be able to raise very much money. I had no idea how to fund-raise, get people to donate, or even get a group together. This was going to be a completely new experience. When we started the team we had a $500 goal and there were four of us. Myself, my husband, my sister, and my friend Angie. I say friend, but at this point she is really family.

     Angie was the friend that stood by me every minute of my battle. The day they found the tumor, my husband was flying, I had no way to reach him and I knew he wouldn't be home until sometime in the middle of the night. When I called Angie, she dropped what she was doing (making dinner for her family) and drove the 45 minutes to my house. She stayed until some time in the middle of the night. This is when we came up with our family motto, "If it's not one thing, it's a tumor!". And when they finally got the tumor out, she was the friend that was willing to hold my trach hole closed so I could blow my nose. And once out of the hospital, she was willing to brave the mall at Christmas time with me in a wheel chair. These are the things that only family does.

      Each year they ask one cancer survivor to be the "Survivor Speaker". This person gets up in front of everyone at the opening ceremony and talks about their battle with cancer, why they are participating in Relay, and how the American Cancer Society has helped them. This year I had the honor of being that speaker. This was very difficult. Not that I mind public speaking, I actually enjoy it. But I had never given a speech about something so personal and emotional before. this was the most difficult speech I ever gave and my high school and college public speaking instructors would have been a bit disappointed with the extra "Uhms".

Getting ready for the team lap.

     All in all, the night was a success. I have never had so many strangers come up and hug me before. I had been so worried that I would cry throughout the speech, (and I did, a bit) I never thought that people would think I was an inspiration. And they did. Then I walked proudly as a survivor, then again with my three caregivers, and then with our team. Our team, that now had 14 members. We needed 4 sleeping tents and had no problem having someone on the track at all times. We also beat our original goal by more than ten fold. Our grand total was $5,601.
     Cancer really sucks! And it sucks for everyone, not just the patient. It was hard on me, but my family and friends were living a nightmare that wouldn't end as well. My husband sat by my bedside each night, not knowing if he was going to be a widower after only two years of marriage, (I was diagnosed 4 months after our wedding). My younger sister gave up her final college spring break to come out and take me to my radiation treatments. No one should have to go though this, and we will continue to participate in this event, and continue to support the American Cancer Society until there is finally a day that there is no longer a need to do so.