Cancer Never Rests, Neither Will We at Relay for Life

Cancer. It’s a word that we often see in medical pamphlets and often hear in whispers. We know it’s a disease that’s not to be messed with, but we’re always glad when it hasn’t messed with us. How would we act, however, if we knew the National Cancer Institute’s conservative statistic that approximately 38.5% of individuals will develop a form of cancer in their lifetime? Cancer doesn’t care who you are, it will affect you and those around you, and at one point or another, it will affect us all.

One individual who has experienced the effects of cancer in her life is Lisa Marie, and she’s not too different from any one of us. She’s from Idaho, works in the community, is a mother of three and loves to garden and read. The difference is that two of her three children are cancer survivors. Diagnosed at the ages of five and eight, her two daughters have undergone surgery and years of chemotherapy and treatment, but we’re glad to say that the youngest daughter will undergo her last leukemia treatment this upcoming week.

When Lisa Marie talks about this trial and all that her daughters and family have been through, she says that the girls are tough, but that fighting cancer is really “a family affair.” It is the entire family, not just the individual, that is fighting for life against this disease. And in the end it isn’t just the family that is critical in the fight, but friends and community members as well. Fighting cancer is a team effort, and it requires everyone to win.

That is the idea behind the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. Relay for Life is a community fundraising event happening June 23^rd at the Madison Jr. High track and everyone is invited to attend. For six hours, individuals and teams of families, friends, and community members will gather together to remember those we have lost and to recognize and celebrate those who are currently affected by cancer, cancer survivors, and their families.

Throughout the event, individuals will walk the track to signify that cancer never stops and neither do cancer patients and their families in the fight against it. There are many individuals in our area who have been affected by cancer, but we shouldn’t wait to be affected by it to participate in this event. In the words of Lisa Marie, if you haven’t been impacted by cancer, you should “relay to keep it that way.”

You are invited to the Rexburg Relay for Life June 23^rd from 6pm-12am. Be the family, friend, or community member to strengthen those affected by cancer. For more information about Relay for Life, to donate or to create a team for the event, visit the site relayforlife.org. Confirm your attendance, and invite your friends through the Facebook event page Rexburg Relay for Life.

While you can form a team to help fundraise and to share a campsite with at the event, individuals and families are welcome to come to the event without being on a team to participate in activities, get dinner, and enjoy free entertainment. Participate in Rexburg Relay for Life to fight back against cancer in our community, celebrate life, and to be the family, friend, and support our community needs.