Cancer Stories Raise Awareness
I am very fortunate to not have my own personal cancer story. My life has been untouched by the disease.
So when I entered the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Hall Parish in Northampton back in February for the kick-off of the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life of Hampshire County, I didn’t quite know what to expect.
What I discovered, besides stories and maple-syrup-covered pancakes, was that not one person—caregiver, survivor, team member, family member, or anyone else—spoke of cancer with fear in their voices.
In fact, Patty Greene of Florence, a longtime member of the event’s organizational committee, took the stage that morning and actually encouraged everyone to speak up about cancer, to use their stories to fight back and raise awareness. “There will be stories of people who Relay to honor, to remember and even share peoples’ own personal battles with cancer,” Patty said. “It is through sharing these stories that we find support, comfort, inspiration, motivation and hope.”
These are the words that pulled at my heartstrings, unaffected for so long.
I was at the kick-off breakfast with two fellow interns at Beetle Press: Molly Ahern and Shannon Grossman. Janice assists with the PR for the annual Relay event, and she assigned us to interview people involved in the event for stories that will be published in the Daily Hampshire Gazette, starting this week through June.
In addition to interviewing Patty and taking several dozen photographs, I also perused the tables that lined the perimeter of the room, full of information about how to get involved with Relay. And through writing my story for the Gazette, the first that will run on the Health page, I learned that every story needs to be told.
Like Patty, Janice takes part in Relay by telling peoples’ stories because she thinks raising awareness of the need for increased involvement on all levels—volunteers, caretakers, survivors and donors—will be effective in the long run in helping the American Cancer Society to find a cure.
Relay For Life is a 24-hour event that allows participants to celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost and fight back against the disease. In its first year, the Hampshire County relay raised $24,000; last year, $220,000 was raised, which was $5,000 over the goal.
During relay, teams of participants take turns walking on a temporary track to raise money for cancer research and programs that benefit cancer patients and their families. During kick-off, the idea is not only to begin planning but also to inspire more participation by volunteers, team members and survivors, and to remember those who were lost to the disease and honor those who have survived.
To learn more, volunteer or donate, visit www.relayforlife.org/hampshirecountyma or email hamprelay@gmail.com.
