Guest Blog: Relay for Life by Teach

Last Friday night the Moonwalkers embarked on a mission to raise a butt-load of money for the American Cancer Society. And we did it. Even through the blood (one of my friends lost a toenail!), sweat (Dog Walker smells pretty bad at events like these), and tears (for all the ones who have to deal with this terrible disease).

My best friend and I were co-captains of the Moonwalkers team. Dog Walker and Drama Queen were also on our team and they were right in the thick of all our fundraising. Earlier this month we had a huge car wash and bake sale that brought in a couple hundred dollars, we also went door-to-door to all of our wonderfully generous neighbors. At Relay we had a silent auction in which our team contributed 15 entries.  I want to thank my mom and Twelve Makes a Dozen for donating two baskets to our team! Thanks, Mom!  Drama Queen also dressed up as a clown (fresh from Sport’s birthday party) and she tied balloon animals at the event and brought in a whopping $6 for her efforts! The whole family came over and supported us by buying concessions, bidding on baskets, and walking around the track. We relayed until we were exhausted; I only got about 10 minutes of sleep.

Relay for Life is an amazing program set up by the American Cancer Society to help the community get involved with raising money for cancer research. The theme is:

Celebrate.
Remember.
Fight back.

Click here to donate to our team.

At Relay we have three different ceremonies.  The opening ceremony is for all those survivors who have fought and continue to fight cancer. This year I got to attend with my Grandpa. Last summer he discovered that he had prostate cancer and he had to have radiation treatments. Right now he is cancer-free and we hope he will stay that way for a long time. I also have a friend named Abby who has thyroid cancer. She has had a couple of surgeries, but she is also doing well. She had her first surgery when she was only 12. So Grandpa and Abby and all the other survivors take the first lap around the track. Then after that, friends, families, and teammates all walk around the track until the end of the Relay. This shows how we won’t sleep until we find a cure.

When it starts to get dark, we have the Luminaria ceremony. Since we are on a football field, we fill white paper sacks with sand and little candles, then we place them in the bleachers on either side of the field. On one side we write the word HOPE and on the other side we write the word CURE with these bags. Then we put the bags all the way around the track to light our way for the rest of the night. When we finally finish the Relay, we are exhausted and ready to collapse, but our fight back ceremony reminds us to fight against cancer by wearing sunscreen, receiving mammograms, and eating healthy. They also announce the winners of the silent auction and they tell us how much money we collectively raised for cancer. When we are finally able to go home and rest, we have smiles on our faces because we know we have supported a worthy cause. When all was said and done, this year our team brought in $2,241.93.

The girl in the purple survivor shirt is my friend, Abby.

I was on the committee and also a a team captain. People ask me all the time why I Relay. I Relay for all those who have lost a loved one. There are many people in my life who have been affected by cancer.  I Relay to rid the world of cancer so that when I am a mother I never had to watch my kids suffer from this terrible disease.  I Relay for the past, present, and future.  I love this cause! I pray that one day the world will be cancer-free.