Relay for Life

Celebrate.

Remember.

Fight Back.

Welcome to the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life – Speer Family style!  I’ll be your tour guide through an amazing night of celebration, hope, and life…and through an experience that opened my eyes and impacted me deeply.

We knew that Relay for Life is a fundraiser for cancer research.  We knew that Relay for Life was an all-night event of walking around a track in teams.  We thought we knew what it was all about.  But we were seriously mistaken.  Inside the front of the program we received, there was a description of the significance and meaning behind the event.  As I read through those words, I was struck with the impact of why Relay for Life is so important:

Relay for Life starts at dusk and ends at the next day’s morning.  The light and darkness of the day and night parallel the physical effects, emotion, and mental state of a cancer patient while undergoing treatment.

The Relay begins when the sun is setting.  This symbolizes the time that the person has been diagnosed as having cancer.  The day is getting darker and this represents the cancer patient’s state of mind as they feel their life is coming to an end.

As the evening goes on it gets colder and darker, just as the emotions of the cancer patient does.  Around 1:00 A.M. to 2:00 A.M. represents the time when the cancer patient starts treatment.  They become exhausted, some sick, not wanting to go on, possibly wanting to give up. As a participant, you have been walking and feel much the same way. You are tired, want to sleep, maybe even go home, but you cannot stop or give up.

Around 4:00 to 5:00 A.M. symbolizes the coming of the end of treatment for the cancer patient.  Once again, they are tired, but they know they will make it.

The sun rising represents the end of treatment for the cancer patient.  They see the light at the end of the tunnel and know that life will go on.  The morning light brings a new day full of life and excitement for new beginnings for the cancer patient.  As a participant, you will feel the brightness of the morning and know that the end of the Relay is close at hand.

When you leave the Relay, think of the cancer patient leaving their last treatment.  Just as you are exhausted and weak, so is that person after treatment.

Remember: there is no finish line until we find a cure.

I can barely read those words without tears.  This night, this event, this Relay, is all about hope.  It is about honoring those who have endured…about remembering those who have lost their battle, and celebrating those who have survived.  It is about supporting one another and building a community of friendship.  Relay is about life.

Being so new to all this, we really had no idea what to expect.  What we found was overwhelming.  Amazing.  Inspiring.  Almost too much to take in all at once.

The evening began with a few surprises for Matt.  I arrived early to make sure everything was in order.  We greeted him at the entrance to the Survivor’s Tent where we proudly presented him with his Survivor’s shirt.

What can I say?  I think this is the most awesome shirt ever.  The only thing that made it awesome-er was this:

Yeah.  That’s MY man.  A survivor!  Praise God, he’s a survivor!

There was a large tent set up with a reception for survivors and their families.  Food, food, and more food filled the tent: pizza from Boston’s Pizza, Sandwiches from Applebee’s, chicken crispers and gravy from Chili’s, fruit and chips and water…and veggie trays and fruit trays and chicken nuggets from none other than:

Despite the ferocious winds battering the tent and sending bowls of chips flying, we managed to eat our fill of the buffet.  Along one side of the tent were tables filled with giveaways – and each survivor was given three tickets to enter into the giveaways of their choice.

There were entertainers of all kinds wandering around the Survivor area, bringing smiles and laughter to lives that have been saddened by cancer’s devastating touch:

We made our way into the Relay area and spent some time visiting with our fellow teammates from McGowen.  They had brought their own spread of chicken cacciatore, rice, white chicken chili, chips, dips, fruit, and lots and lots of cookies.  We were too full for the heavy stuff, but managed to make room for a few cookies.

As the time for Relay to begin drew near, we gathered near the stage for the Opening Ceremony and Survivor Ceremony.  The McKinney Fire Department opened with the flag ceremony:

Listening to the national anthem, being surrounded by a sea of people of all ages – from young children to grandparents and great-grandparents – wearing purple shirts…was an incredibly moving experience.  The pride of patriotism coupled with the joy and hope of life is an amazing emotional cocktail.

And then, it was the Survivors’ turn.  One by one, their names were called and they came forward to receive their medal, be cheered onto the track, and take a victory lap around the stadium:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctMWPBMbNDo[/youtube]

As the survivors entered the track, they were given a purple balloon to release at the beginning of the Survivor’s Walk.  The flurry of purple balloons rising into the evening sky represented lives that will continue to go forward and thrive.

The first lap belonged to the survivors.  This was their moment, their celebration, their victory.  The crowds gathered along the length of the track and cheered their every step.

But the second lap belonged to the caregivers.  The support network. The unsung heroes who walked with the survivors during their most difficult moments and darkest days.  Caregivers received a special sash to wear:

Families were also welcome to join the survivors on the second lap.  Our children were only too happy to be joining their dad:

Though they may not have understood what all this was about, they do know that their dad has been healed and the cancer is gone.  God has answered our prayers and restored life to our family.  This night represented an awesome victory for all of us!

Yeah.  That’s MY man.  MY Survivor.  My hero…my inspiration…my best friend.  I’m so proud of him.  And I love him with all my heart.