To the Editor:
Cancer changes everything. No one knows this better than Relay For Life supporters in Thompson.
On this, the 15th anniversary of the Thompson Relay For Life, the Canadian Cancer Society honours the community, its supporters and particularly its volunteer committee for leading the cancer fight.
The Thompson Relay For Life is more than an event. It is a community experience where individuals, families and businesses come together to support one another, to honour our neighbours who have beat cancer, and to remember brave cancer fighters like Shelly Carey and Trevor Lowe that we have lost.
Every year, Canada`s Relay For Life season gets started in Thompson, Manitoba and every year, this community sets the pace for the entire country. And what a pace it sets.
Thompson has been an integral part of ensuring the Cancer Society continues to support vital research as well as programs and services that support all cancer patients. Funds raised locally have had significant impact – from supporting about 1,500 Thompson-area families a year through programs and services, to providing $14 million to fund 100 Manitoba research projects and bringing 56 clinical trials to the province so cancer patients can have access to the latest treatments and procedures.
It’s because Thompson Relay participants supported us that the government began covering the cost of cancer treatment and support drugs so northerners could stay at home close to family and friends and fight cancer. Since 2012, over 80 families have received $805,000 in benefits from this program, keeping money in their pockets at a time that incomes are declining and costs are increasing.
We have done so much together, including getting a $1.4 million expansion to the Thompson Chemotherapy Unit and starting a local transportation service in Thompson.
But with 6,800 Manitobans facing a cancer diagnosis this year, there is still much to do. Fortunately, we have outstanding volunteers and communities like Thompson that continue to lead the way.
It is fitting that this Relay takes place on the last day of National Volunteer Week. Thompson’s Relay For Life Committee Thompson is a perfect example of people bringing a community together to help others.
This group of dedicated volunteers focuses its energy throughout the year on making a difference and directing as much money to the cancer fight as possible.
We want to thank the Relay committee for its efforts throughout the year and over time. We particularly want to recognize the extraordinary commitment of Wally Itson, Donna Wilson and Jeff Lindstrom who have been part of this committee since the beginning – for an extraordinary 15 years!
Your dedication is commendable and your legacy will be counted in the lives saved and cancer patients supported in their journey. We all owe you a debt of gratitude.
On behalf of cancer patients, survivors and their families in Thompson, Manitoba and across Canada, we thank and salute the Thompson Relay For Life and we wish you the very best this year.
Cancer changes everything, but so can we.
Lynne Hudson
President and CEO
Canadian Cancer Society
