Relay for Life a memorable experience

Have you ever felt like you were called to do something? Even as crazy as it sounds, it’s something that you feel in your heart you have to do.
I guess we all have our “bucket lists,” and I’m no different. There are several things I’d like to do in my lifetime, from seeing my two favorite NFL teams, Minnesota and Pittsburgh, play in their respective stadiums (I am traveling to see a Steelers game in October) to bowling a perfect game in my league (still working on that). But there was something that I recently added to my list, and I was determined to do it. I finally had that opportunity last week.
I ventured to Adrian last Friday to participate in the Relay for Life. The event, perhaps the biggest event benefiting the American Cancer Society, took place at the Christian Family Center park and lasted 24 hours. In the weeks leading up to the event, after I committed myself to participating, everyone kept telling me that it’s a life-changing experience.
That it certainly was.
For those who are not totally familiar with the Relay for Life, the event features several teams, usually of 10 people or more, walking a track and raising money for cancer research. In theory, one person from a team must be walking the track at all times. Many other activities take place throughout the night, like sand volleyball matches, special laps that walkers participate in and various contests at the different tents around the track. Sounds simple enough, but trust me, it can be grueling.
Within a month of the Relay, I was still not a member of a team. Thankfully, the good people of West Rome Baptist Church welcomed me to their team. With our theme of “Linked in Pink,” our team of about 15 set out to walk the track and sell goodies to fellow walkers to raise money for cancer research.
After the survivors’ lap, in which cancer survivors and those battling the disease take to the track to open the Relay, my team and I, decked in black and pink, began our walking quest.
I don’t know the exact number of laps I did, but if I had to guess it was the equivalent of 15 miles. By the end, my tights were sore, my feet were blistered and I was covered in sweat. But it was worth every minute, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
Why, you ask? Because cancer needs to be conquered.
Cancer can strike anyone at anytime. As our readers may know, I battled a scare last winter and got lucky. A friend of mine battled cancer for two years but lost his battle in May. That factored into my decision to enter the Relay.
To do something like this, you need to be inspired, and I found that in many forms. Seeing the cancer survivors and hearing their stories throughout the night makes you want to solider on. Walking the track all night is a test of endurance, while they are in the fight for survival. When you think of what people with cancer go through each day, one can put up with one day of muscle soreness.
You see all the luminarias dedicated to those who lost the battle or currently fighting cancer – you solider on. After lighting my luminarias dedicated to my grandmother and my friend Chad Meyer, the emotions took over, as did the urge to knock out a few more laps.

I know that there have been discussions about bringing the Relay for Life to Manchester, and I would encourage having one in town. For a community that has shown how it takes care of its own, can you imagine how Manchester would come together in a Relay for Life? Just a thought.
Former North Carolina State basketball coach the late Jimmy Valvano once said that while cancer can take away physical things, “it cannot touch my mind, it cannot touch my heart and it cannot touch my soul.” Last weekend, some 300 walkers and volunteers made it know that cancer can not take away hope or the desire to see the dreaded diseased defeated.