| Cancer survivors carry the banner on the survivors lap. Judy Lang, Reed Martin, Sue Lutu, Robbin Snow and Judi Bishop. |
2007 Emery County Relay for Life was a smashing success. Relay Chairman, Sandy Behling opened the relay with an introduction of her committee members. She said there were 23 teams signed up and they had raised $13,750 so far. Behling said she never dreamed of being the relay chairman, but in 1995 her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Then two years later she contracted ovarian cancer and eventually passed away. In 2000, was the family’s first relay where their team was called Sally’s Sweeties. Sally was still alive at that time and wrote the team out a check for $500 for a donation towards research. She told her daughters, “It’s too late for me, but it’s not too late for you.”
Behling said, “Thank you for being here, that’s why we relay and we hope that’s why you relay, too.”
Jessy Wilcox, a registered nurse from Price was the guest speaker. “I congratulate all the survivors for your courage. There is no better way to find a cure. It takes so much to go through this battle. It takes family. There are so many caregivers. I have been a nurse for 10 years and I have met so many caring caregivers. When I was young I lost my grandmother to cancer. I watched how hard the team worked to save her. I decided then to become a nurse to help people. The families provide so much love and support and I have such admiration for them.”
| Survivors take their victory lap. |
Wilcox said there are so many emotions with cancer and it’s OK to have different feelings and everyone reacts differently. She advised not to compare yourself to others and what they are going through. Just handle the disease in your own way. She told of a poem called the dash and what’s important is the space of time, your life, between the dates of birth and death. How you live the dash is what matters. She cautioned everyone to love those in their lives like there is no tomorrow. Because, we don’t know how long we have on this earth and make every second count.
The relay continued with the survivor lap and the balloon release. Dinner was held at the relay where survivors ate free. The relay lasted all night with the luminary ceremony at 9:30 p.m. A breakfast was held in the morning for the brave souls who stayed the entire night and walked.