Relay For Life is a big deal for me for a lot of reasons. My college's, Lebanon Valley College, Relay is this Friday, March 24, from 3 pm to 3 am. I Relay for a lot of reason and so does my family. This article is dedicated to those that I Relay for and all those that Relay for similar reasons.
The main reason I Relay is for those that I have lost to cancer and the ones that have battled and won their fights.
I Relay for my Gran'dad that I lost when I was three years old to Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. This man was my world and made an impact on my life that no one else ever has. I Relay because he can't, so I walked in order to honor him and raise awareness for his cancer. I Relay because he was my world and I would do anything to spend one more moment with him.
I Relay for my Grandfather that I never got to meet because Pancreatic Cancer took him from my family before my parents were even married. I Relay to raise awareness in order to raise awareness for a cancer that does not have a high survival rate since it cannot be detected until the late stages. I Relay to honor his memory that my family works so hard to keep alive through generations. I Relay because I would walk miles to see him again, so walking for 12 hours is the least I can do to honor him.
I Relay for my father who is a two time cancer survivor. He was diagnosed with stage four Colon Cancer in October of 1997. I was six months old and of course I do no remember it, but I could not imagine my life without my father. He beat all odds and was another one of the most influential people in my life next to my Gran'dad. In 2010 he was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma on the anniversary of his diagnosis of Colon Cancer. He is one of the strongest people I know in order to pull through cancer not only once, but twice. I Relay with him to show my support of his fights. I Relay for him because I do not know where I would be without him. I Relay so him and I can honor his father together.
I Relay for my Aunt and Grandmother who are both survivors of Breast Cancer. I Relay for them to honor their fight and show my support for them. Breast Cancer is the one cancer that gets the most press out of all the cancers that I Relay for.
I Relay for the ones in my family that cannot make Relay. The money that I raise helps those who are going through cancer treatment. But to me it is more than the money I raise, it is walking for those that can't and that I would walk miles for.
Why do you Relay?
If you would like to support why I Relay, I would greatly appreciate it! Follow this link and any amount that you can give will help in the fight against cancer