The weather outside is frightful
It’s cold outside. The wind is biting. The temperature dropped throughout the afternoon and will continue to do so through the night. But cancer does not care about cold or wind any more than it cares that it is killing its host. S I spent most of the day pounding the streets of Fall River with Relay For Life Kick-off dinner posters in my hand, moving from store to store and restaurant to restaurant to get the word out about next Friday’s event. (Saint Bernadette’s Parish Hall, 529 Eastern Avenue, Fall River, MA, January 25, 6 p.m.)
The war on cancer does not end…
Reading this column every day one could be excused for thinking the only cancer I think about is NET cancer. The truth is that while my focus is on NET cancer my experience with other cancers is too frequent and unpleasant for me not to think about them as well–and my friends and neighbors who have to deal with their individual battles with the cancers they face.
Why Relay for Life, too?
Again this year I am a chairman for the Relay For Life of Greater Fall River. Again this year, Walking with Jane will have a team at that Relay. And again this year, we will try to double what our team raised a year ago. The money we raise through Relay won’t be ear-marked for NET cancer–but will go to support cancer research generally and patient support. But I am also very aware that the American Cancer Society is currently one of the largest funders of NET cancer research we have. They kick in about $1 million for the NET cancer research kitty each year.
Relay is a testament to the power of one man with an idea.
And I am also aware of how important their support for cancer patients is above and beyond funding research. They help with rides to appointments, wigs, make-up classes, and a dozen other support services for people facing the most difficult fight in their lives.
Relay for Life is about community
But Relay For Life is more than a mere fundraising gimmick. For those of us who have lost someone we love to cancer, Relay provides a community that gets it. There are hundreds of cancer survivors there–but there are also hundreds of people who have said good-bye to someone in a hospital room who was never coming home again.
…a community that was willing to do more…
I came into Relay For Life seeking a way to avenge Jane’s death. But I found a community that was willing to do more than help me raise money; I found there a community that understood what I had gone through as a failed care-giver and helped me understand that I had failed no more than Jane had–that we had both succeeded in our fight against her disease, even though she had died.
The power of a simple idea
Without the support of those in our local Relay For Life I am not sure I could do the NET cancer work that consumes most of my days. They are there when I need a reminder that I am making a difference. They are there when I feel achingly alone. I know they will be there, fighting this fight, long after I am gone.
…people facing the most difficult fight in their lives.
Relay is a testament to the power of one man with an idea. Gordy Klatt started out by running around a track by himself for 24 hours to raise money to fight cancer. Today, Relay for Life is the biggest fundraising vehicle in the world. His example reminds me that each of us really does have the power to change the world.
Please join in
So today I ask you for your help not just in the fight against NET cancer, but against all cancers. Join your local Relay For Life. If you are already involved with it, find ways to do more.
…cancer does not care about cold or wind…
The war on cancer does not end until we have a cure for every cancer.
