RELAY FOR LIFE - Mechanicsville, VA Edition

We are hoping for exactly this - a cure!

I had an amazing time at Relay for Life yesterday at Lee-Davis High School. I participated with the New Highland Hope team. The team was comprised of individuals from my church. I arrived about 4:45 and checked in at the survivor tent. There I received my purple "SURVIVOR" t-shirt, a hat and a pin. As I walked back to our tent, I was surprised to see Staci wearing a survivor shirt. I did not realize that she had had cancer. She is very lucky to have survived stage 4 melanoma. Her doctor later told her that there had been a 98% chance that the melanoma would be fatal. I know that she thanks God daily that she is alive three years later.

Staci and I then joined Tommy to kick off the relay by walking the survivor's lap. Tommy's wife, Linda, is a survivor as well, but she and Rose, another survivor, weren't there yet to walk the lap. After the survivors tok a lap, caregivers - past and present - joined the survivors for the next lap. Then the other participants were welcome to take the track as well.

The American Cancer Society provided a dinner for survivors, which was catered by Italian Kitchen. Staci, Tommy and I enjoyed a wonderful meal. We certainly appreciated their generosity and recognition of survivors.

After dinner, I headed back to the track to put in some more laps. They had a karate demonstration in one end zone. Jazzercise did another demonstration in the other end zone. Music was playing over the speakers, and later there were bands that also played. It was a very celebratory atmosphere, which made walking in circles around a track very enjoyable. I don't usually like track workouts, but this was different. It was also neat to see the various fund raising ideas that teams incorporated into the event. New Highland brought their moon bounce for children to enjoy at $1 a turn. Many groups sold food. One group was giving manicures. Another was selling purses. And some took advantage of the impending nighttime to sell illuminated sound makers and necklaces. The (almost) full moon rising above the stadium was gorgeous.

I ran into some fellow Lee-Davis graduates on the track. It was wonderful to see Sheri and Kelly again. We walked several laps around the track together and reminisced.


The luminary ceremony followed nightfall. It was a very touching experience. They read aloud each name for whom a luminary had been purchased - both for those "in honor of" and for those "in memory of." It's a sobering reminder of how many people have been directly impacted by cancer.

Jolene Ashcraft, another L-D graduate, passed away July 2002

The Relay for Life committee had planned many fun things for the evening. They had a crazy hat lap, a birthday celebration lap with party hats, and a Miss Relay competition, just to mention a few. I left before the Miss Relay competition got underway, but this picture was taken by Sheri and will give you some idea of the fun had by all.


Next year I plan to spend the night and be a part of all the activities. I hope you will also consider joining a future Relay for Life event. Much money is being raised by individuals to help find a cure for cancer, which is so important!