This weekend we went to a fund raiser for the American Cancer Society Relay for Life. It's held on the Athletic field of a local school. Participants get pledges and walk around a .25 mile track to raise money, many sleep over in tents and take turns so that people are walking all though the night.At night, the track is illuminated with luminaries with the names of those who had past from cancer. There were thousands, and it was hard to see the walkers stop at certain candles and weep. It was a very powerful event.
This is the sister of a very popular teacher in our town. She lived in town as well and left behind a husband and children last month. Some of the student from school placed their glow necklaces around her Luminary. I think she was only in her Thirties.
I was not trying to be funny when I said to my friend:
"Pretty soon, it'll be our names on these bags"
"Better keep walking then" he replied.
What greater cause can we have?
Melissa team captain'd a team for Phoenixville's RFL this year - it was the first one that I had attended. Ours was this weekend as well. I missed the luminaria part of the evening (when they turn the stadium lights out), but still seeing the number of luminaria with the lights on was sobering.
ReplyDeleteBill,
ReplyDeleteYou found the word I could not.
Sobering.
E: from all of us who were either cured, or robbed of the ones we love... thank you. CC
ReplyDelete:)
ReplyDeleteMy pops was diagnosed in 2006 with cancer and died late that year. Three months later, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. She's had surgery, Chemo, radiation, etc., and we're hopeful. But you said it, what greater cause indeed...
ReplyDeletejust seems like something we're all destined to deal with. Either personally or with our loved ones.
ReplyDeletejust seems like something we're all destined to deal with. Either personally or with our loved ones.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing. I meant 2005, not 2006. That's when I largely dropped out of blogging for a while.
ReplyDeleteMy three sisters immediately had to change to box on the physical that asks about family history of breast cancer -- we didn't have it before that, so suddenly, apparently, their risk factors just shot up. You're right - in some way, we're all affected.