As cancer survivors ages 99 to 8-years-old, wearing purple
shirts that read
”
Hope,
”
began the Relay for Life Friday afternoon, the crowd was
swirling with emotions.
As cancer survivors ages 99 to 8-years-old, wearing purple shirts that read “Hope,” began the Relay for Life Friday afternoon, the crowd was swirling with emotions.
“People go through a whole range of them,” Chairwoman Jeana Arnold said. “They’re happy for the people who have survived, and they’re sad for those who have died and they think about how lucky they are to be alive. It’s just completely overwhelming.”
The more than 100 San Benito County survivors were joined by family, friends, co-workers and community members all walking for 24 hours in hope of finding a cure, and battling cancer.
“This community always has such an amazing turnout,” American Cancer Society Representative Penny Mount said.
The field at Andy Hardin Stadium was filled with tents and thousands of county residents from sun down Friday, to dusk on Saturday, and each different team had its own reason for being there, and its own way of expressing itself.
In their first year of participating, team “Hearts on Crusade” raised more than $10,000 by just asking friends, family and co-workers for donations. They continued to raise money during the relay, selling heart shaped cookies and necklaces. Carol Tortorelli, who was diagnosed with breast cancer two-years-ago, was the team captain, and said, once you’ve been touched by cancer, it becomes your cause.
“This touches you whether you’ve had cancer or not,” she said. “I think when people come out here, and they see all the survivors wearing the purple shirts, it really makes them realize how many people have been affected by cancer in our community.”
The Hearts on Crusade were part of a group effort of all the teams, which surpassed the Relay for Life’s 2004 goal of raising $175,000, and raised $197,000. Along with raising more money, many teams grew in size this year. In 2003, Hazel Hawkins Hospital only had six team members, and this year it jumped to 41.
“It has been really great for employee moral and camaraderie,” Frankie Valent, of Hazel Hawkins, said. “It’s also given a lot of people who wouldn’t normally cross paths at work, a chance to get to know one another, so it’s been fun.”
Participants were fed dinner and breakfast by the Relay volunteers, and along with food and entertainment, there was also education. Across the field from the stage was a tent set up for Mission Delivery. Throughout the day, education talks and information were given out to teach people how the prevent cancer and get screened.
Linda Roma, who runs the tent, said in the three years she’s been doing it, she’s seen people quit smoking because of the information they’ve learned.
“I think each year it gets better and better,” she said. “At first it was hard to get people to come and listen and now they all stop by to see what time to come.”
Hollister resident and prostate cancer survivor Gene Kogle knows all about prevention. After leaving his doctor’s office with a clean bill of health, his wife made him attend a health fair. Had he not gone, his cancer would have never been detected, and he said, he wouldn’t be here today.
“I’m really lucky to be walking this relay today,” he said. “And it’s nice to see all the volunteers out here raising money for such a good cause.”
Relay Final Numbers
Amount Raised: $197,000
Largest Single Fund-raiser: Hope Beltran
2004 Relay for Life
– There are 235 relays in California.
– This is the 20th anniversary of the Relay for Life, which was originally started by a doctor in Tacoma, Wash., who went around town for 24 hours collecting donations for his cancer patients.
– Relay for Life hit its $1 billion mark this year,
and is expected to hit its second billion in three years.
– Of the $130 million raised each year from the Relay for Life, $24 million of it comes from California.
– This year San Benito County raised $197,000.
Source: American Cancer Society.
