This year's Relay for Life, which is happening in Thompson at the C. A. Nesbitt Arena from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. April 23, is all about the survivors - people who have been touched by cancer. Whether they've had cancer years ago, recently or are currently battling the disease now, the organizers of the event are hoping survivors turn up for the big day.
Relay for Life started back in 1985 by Dr. Gordy Klatt, a colorectal surgeon in Tacoma, Washington. The event was first held in Canada in 1999 when it raised $85,000. By 2008 there were 451 Relay for Life events across Canada with over 200,000 Canadians participating - including 36,415 survivors.
The Canadian Cancer Society says Relay for Life is not just a fundraiser but an opportunity to get together with friends and family and celebrate cancer survivors, remember loved ones lost to the disease and fight back to try and find a cure for cancer. Teams of 10 people participate in an overnight non-competitive relay taking turns walking, running or jogging along a track. Thompson is the only community in Canada where the event takes place indoors.
Money collected from Relay for Life goes to the Canadian Cancer Society to help fund research, provide information and support services for people living with cancer and to advocate for public policies that reduce cancer risk and help people living with the disease.
This year, the Thompson Relay for Life committee's survivor chairs are Atalia Hickey and Barb Romanica. Both women were touched by cancer in their lives. One of the 2010 Thompson Relay for Life honourary survivors is Margaret Huculak, who has been battling cancer since she was only six months old, and was one of the first people to have radiation treatment. She has participated in Thompson's Relay for Life since its inception seven years ago. June McTavish is the other honourary survivor for the event.
Emcee and volunteer for the event Donna Wilson - who will also be taking over from Tara Howse, who is moving from Thompson after the event, as chairperson for the Relay for Life next year - says she hopes other survivors make it out to the event as well. She says it promises a fun time - from the opening ceremony with a survivor lap, performances by the Thompson Community Band, the Zoryauk Ukrainian Dancers, jazz band groups from R. D. Parker Collegiate, Northern Lights Belly Dance, Al Starling and other local artists, and music from Michael Lysohrika's After Dark productions. Wilson says there will also be a fun costume parade at midnight where teams will dress up in different costumes and walk a lap of the track.
One of the most touching moments at the Relay for Life, however, is the lighting of the luminaries - special candles that are placed in bags that carry the names of cancer survivors and people who have lost to the disease.
According to Wilson, any survivors wishing to take part in the event can pre-register or simply show up and enjoy all the night has to offer.
