Fourteen years ago, I started doing Relays with my mother, a courageous woman who was once again fighting the mighty dragon known as Cancer. She had been Cancer free for years and took the dragon on full force when she got the news and battled it for another five years before she lost her battle in 2002. She taught me to be as strong as I could be as I to had to fight the dragon at the age of 32. She showed me how to deal with it and how to be Cancer free after surgery was my cure.

Our Relay team fundraises for money to go to more research with the hope that each year there may be one more life spared from the mighty dragon. Relay also gives our team time to honor those who have won their battle or are fighting the battle now and to honor the memories of those who have lost their battle with Cancer.

Last year was very hard for us as one of our team members was battling the dragon. He since has been given the Cancer-free news which once again gives us more reason to Relay. We decided to push on and give all of our efforts toward a fantastic Relay. The thing most memorable last year was that no matter what I asked the team to do they did it regardless of whether or not they thought that I was running around like I had two heads. My Relay Olympic Team did their serious parts, which as we say, we need to work hard but have fun doing it, and our team spirit shows why we Relay while having fun at the same time.

Many thanks to my team and to all the teams that attended Relay in 2011; also the bikers and riders who made the Ride For Life bigger and better; can’t wait for this year.

In closing, Relay For Life means more than a day at the field; it’s everyone fighting, honoring and remembering the reason we are all there: TO STAMP OUT CANCER.