Letter to the editor

Relay For Life is more than just a fundraiser. It’s a life-changing experience. At Relay, every person in the community has a chance to celebrate, remember, and fight back. And every person who participates joins others around the globe as part of this worldwide movement to end cancer.

Everyone’s reason to Relay is as unique as their own personal story. At Relay, you can find healing, comfort, and support from others who have faced cancer or who have lost a loved one to the disease. You have a chance to meet people in the community who are equally as passionate about finding an end to cancer in our lifetime. You can thank all the people who have done so much to support you through your personal cancer experience. And you can gather together with friends, family, and colleagues to laugh, cry, and create lasting memories.

It is important that the community come out and support Relay for Life, because each of us has been touched by this disease, whether it is someone that is a family member or someone that they know as a friend.  This is an opportunity that each of us can participate in.  As a cancer survivor myself, this October being eight years, I have a personal mission to do as much as I can to help as many as I can, because if caught early on, this disease can be beat.  

Relay for Life is a chance for each of us to celebrate the lives of those who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and to fight back against the disease. For those who don’t know what relay is all about, Relay begins with the Survivors lap where the survivors circle the track together and help everyone celebrate the victories that have been acheived over cancer.

After dark we honor those that have been touched by cancer and remember loved ones lost to the disease during the Luminaria ceremony.  Candles are lit inside bags filled with sand, each one bearing the name of a person touched by cancer, and participants often walk a lap in silence.

As people take time to remember, those who have walked alongside others battling cancer can grieve and find healing. This is a time that truly highlights the importance of defeating this disease.

Last, there is a Fight Back Ceremony, where we make a personal commitment to save lives by taking up the fight against cancer. That personal commitment may be to do something as simple  as getting a screening test, quitting smoking, or talking to elected officials about cancer. By taking action, people are personally taking steps to save lives and fight back against a disease that takes too much.

No matter why you take part in Relay, however, one thing is clear: with every step you take, you are helping the American Cancer Society save lives. With your help, we aren’t just fighting one type of cancer – we’re fighting for every birthday threatened by every cancer in every community. Each person who shares the Relay experience can take pride in knowing that they are working to create a world where this disease will no longer threaten the lives of our loved ones or claim another year of anyone’s life.  

As a community event, Relay fulfills a need for belonging that we all have. It also creates a sense of community by bringing people together in a moving and fun atmosphere, with sufficient time for cultivating relationships

Cancer is indiscriminate and knows no boundaries.  So we are asking each one to come out and join us on Friday, April 29th starting at 6 p.m. and help us to celebrate more birthdays, this is my personal commitment.

Brenda J. Williams

Panola County Relay,

Event Chair