This Friday, May 15, 2009, I will be participating in Relay for Life. I was signed up to do it last year but I had a very unfortunate bout with pneumonia, including a week in the hospital, surgery and a chest tube… so I didn’t make it. Considering it is in 2 days and I am apparently healthy, I’m confident that this year I will be a Participant! I can’t wait!

Relay for Life is sponsered by the American Cancer Society. They explain it better than I can:

Relay For Life is a life-changing event that brings together more than 3.5 million people to:

Celebrate the lives of those who have battled cancer. The strength of survivors inspires others to continue to fight.
Remember loved ones lost to the disease. At Relay, people who have walked alongside people battling cancer can grieve and find healing.
Fight Back. We Relay because we have been touched by cancer and desperately want to put an end to the disease.

I am part of the John Knox Presbyterian team. Go John Knox!!! I love my church for many reasons but the main one is the amazing people who are a part of it. We have a little fireball in charge of our Relay team and this year, she’s in charge of our whole city. And she’s a cancer survivor. Miss Georgia is a true Belle in every sense of the word: from her beautiful Southern accent to her way of making everyone feel special. We are all so fortunate to have her on our team.

I’m positive that most of us have been touched by cancer in some way. Unfortunately it’s usually because we’ve lost a loved one to it or have been touched by it ourselves. I’ve spent the past year watching my best friend conquer breast cancer. She lost her hair but not her spirit and now her hair looks better than ever! Relay for Life starts out with a Survivor Lap around the track and I can’t wait to see my friends take that walk.

Relays take place all around the country. It’s a fun event, raises money to find a cure, and is a way to honor those we have lost and those we continue to support in the fight.  Check and see if there is a Relay in your area.

If you’d like to donate to my team, I’d happily accept! Just click here.