Relay for Life

So, I'm kind of late to post this...

Every year, I participate in an amazing event called Relay for Life. It is a huge fundraiser for the American Cancer Society that is held all around the country.  It is an 18 hour overnight event, in which teams get donations, walk around a track, participate in various activities and contests, and take some time to honor those who have fought and are currently fighting cancer. 

This event means a lot to me because I have lost, or almost lost, several people to this terrible illness. My grandpa on my mom's side, Grandpa Kelly, had leukemia. He was an incredibly active and cheerful person. He was involved in the senior Olympics up until just a couple months before he passed away. Seeing him fight so hard for his life and then lose it anyway was one of the hardest things to witness. My great grandma and grandma on my mom's side were cancer survivors. They passed away due to other reasons. On my father's side, Grandpa Mathes survived skin cancer twice. They caught it quick enough both times that not much damage was done. It was still very scary. In 8th grade, when I went through confirmation at my church, I had a mentor named Jane Hall. She was an amazing person who had beaten an addiction (this is why we were matched: my eating disorder was an addiction too). She was an incredibly inspiring person and we had some great talks and had a lot of fun going on outings, like to the Cincinnati zoo. These trips were extra special because she was a volunteer there and took me behind the scenes. My favorite moment was petting a penguin. Just a couple years ago, Jane lost her battle to cancer. My mom's closest friend Linda, who is practically family to me, has battled lung cancer twice. Now, she's in the hospital because of some respiratory issues with a seemingly unknown cause. Even though she survived cancer, it wreaked havoc on her lungs. Just a couple months ago, one of my former classmates, Anne, lost her battle to cancer. She and I weren't best buds or anything, but she was always kind to me in late elementary and middle school, while most of the other kids were jerks. That's just the way Anne was: kind to everyone. It's just not fair that she was taken so young, at the age of 26.

In summary, cancer sucks and I do my part to kick its butt my always taking part in this huge fundraiser for the American Cancer Society.

This year's Relay for Life (last weekend) went well, as usual. The Glow 5k was especially awesome. It's a race at 1am with glowsticks on the bike path by OU's campus. I somehow managed to be the first female finisher! And if my calculations are correct, I by some miracle ran at a 6:59 minute mile pace!  I was wearing my unicorn leggings, so I've decided that they are my lucky leggings. 

Relay for Life has happened really early last year and this year, so there are plenty of chances left to get involved. You can go to relayforlife.org to see if there's one near you.