Walk for a cure

Over 13 years ago, I became a caregiver when my then 19-year-old daughter, Jessica, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. I was there when she went through the chemo that made her so sick she could not eat or drink, and when she lost all of her hair. And after four and one-half months, her chemo was finally done.

Then a friend told her about the Relay for Life. She joined the ranks of survivors and proudly walked the survivor lap at her first Relay for Life event. Gradually over six years, much to the doctor’s surprise, she had three children. Her children have never not known about the Relay for Life, and every year they proudly support their mother as she walks the survivor’s lap. Then she got me involved with the Relay. When one of my sisters lost her husband to brain cancer, and my other sister lost her daughter to cervical cancer, they too became more involved with the Relay. Together, we formed a team, walked for a cure and joined the committees. We learned more and more about how the American Cancer Society helps local area cancer survivors with free services here in the Illinois Valley.

Last year, we participated in the Upper Illinois Valley Relay for Life in Mendota. Last year was its second year in existence which went from just a few teams to over 40 teams, and together we raised $123,272 over our goal. This year, we hope to make 60 teams and raise as much, if not more, money than we did last year. We were listed at No. 8 in the entire United States for positive feedback from our participants.

We are looking for more teams, more survivors, more caregivers. You can join our event in Mendota in July, or the LaSalle County event held in Streator in June, or the Bureau County event in Spring Valley in August. Please go to www.relayforlife.org to find an event near you. Please form a team; register as a survivor; offer to help on a committee. We need you. We want you. There is nothing more satisfying as working together to eradicate cancer. My daughter was cured, and we need to raise more money to help with research to cure others.