It is 6pm on Sunday, June 12th… exactly 24 hours since the Relay for Life event started. A 12 hour event that runs from 6pm to 6am… through the night and into the morning as the sun rises. I’ve had about 4 hours of sleep in the last 36 hours so this may or may not be the best time to be writing this blog… but here goes. I’ll try to do my best with the proof reading but I can’t make any promised.
To say this night was an emotional one is an understatement. It was powerful! But I’ll get to that shortly. First, let me brag about my team… Ladies Who Fight! We are a team of 15. 7 of us are cancer survivors and one is still fighting her fight. The rest have been touched by cancer is some way or another. We created the team a mere 3 months ago… and in those 3 months we raised… wait for it! Hold onto your hats! Drum roll please… $21, 898!! With a top up of $500 for being the #1 fundraising team brings us to a grand total of $22, 398!! (Hope I did the math right, I always say, “I’m too pretty for math”) WOW! The event itself raised over $100,000! Amazing!
The night started off with a Survivors Lap. I had been asked to do the relay last year, but I just wasn’t ready. It felt all too raw for me. Too emotional. I just couldn’t face the survivor lap. I was scared I’d just crumble. But this year I was ready! Ready to take that lap and ROAR! So arm in arm with my mother and husband we took our first steps… and I crumbled! As I looked around at my fellow survivors, my team members and all the people standing on the side lines I was over come with emotion. With the memories of what it has taken to get me to this lap. To be a survivor. It is a very exclusive group, and not everyone is lucky enough to join. Not everyone who fights cancer becomes a survivor. I am part of that group. And that is something I do not take for granted.
I walked that lap for every person that did not make it into this exclusive group. Each time we came around another bend there were more people cheering us on. I took it in, I embraced it. I made eye contact, I connected. I tried hard to stay in the moment. And it was special moment. One of many that night.
We also did a silent lap after all of the luminaries where lit. Lit in remembrance of those who lost their battle with cancer and for those still fighting their battle. I watched as one of our team members, whose sister was very recently diagnosed with breast cancer ran to catch up with her so she could take this special lap with her. I watched as they walked hand in hand, in silence, together. Together in a moment that seemed so very special from my vantage point. The strangers surrounding them probably didn’t even notice, but I did. And I felt honoured to be witness to this amazing connection.
It was a very special night. One I will not soon forget. There were amazing connections. Lots of stories shared. There is lots of time to talk when you are walking for 12 hours! Our team walked an accumulative 225kms altogether! Maybe more! (Like I said…math, not my strong point!) And those steps have put us one step closer to kicking cancer’s A$$!
For the record… I finished my Survivors Lap strong….
Note to self… Next year: book a massage for the day following Relay.
dancing through the fire 