Why I Relay for Life

As summer approaches our local Relay for Life season starts. The fundraiser planning is underway and I can't wait to once again participate in Relay for Life. I am very passionate about participating in this event as it benefits all types of cancer and is a wonderful cause. So many of us have had cancer impact our lives in one way or another. My hope is that one day we will no longer live in a world plagued by this awful disease.

This year to promote relay I decided to start a blog. On this blog I hope to write about why I relay, thoughts and feelings about cancer, people I relay for, and possibly some stories about why my fellow team members relay (if I can talk them into it!).

To start this off I wanted to share the video I created last year to try and explain and show others why I relay for life. Here are the words I wrote through the video:

I relay for life. For my life, for your life and every life touched by cancer.

I relay for those first diagnosed,
Who know not what’s ahead, but are ready to fight.

I relay for the survivor learning of recurrence,
Who already knows what awaits, but is still ready to fight.

I relay for the mother watching her child suffer through chemo
And the child enduring the suffering.

I relay for the husband afraid to lose his wife
And the wife afraid of being taken from her family.

I relay to fight the cancer that tried, but failed, to take my life,
And to bring hope to those who are fighting.

I relay to celebrate being a survivor
And to honor those who have not survived.

I relay for those who have the determination and the will to fight,
But surrender because they could not succeed.

I relay because I do not know why I won my battle and others lost,
But I believe that what I am doing will help more people win.

I relay for the friends I met through treatment,
To honor fights won and fights lost.

I relay to help calm my fears,
Because at times I am still afraid.

I relay for life. For my life, for your life and every life touched by cancer.




At the end of every post I will turn into a shameless beggar and ask you to reach into your wallet and make a donation to American Cancer Society through my relay for life page. Even a small donation will be much appreciated! There is a link on the side bar to make a donation. Thanks in advance to everyone who takes the time to read this blog and make a donation.