A conversation with cancer
(NC)—Ask cancer survivors what they would say to cancer if it was a person, and it’s likely they’ll have no shortage of words – and many will raise their fists, ready to fight. Although those who have been touched by cancer have their own way of coping with the news and the treatment, most of them have similar, very pointed words to share with cancer itself.
” ‘Go away. Never come back. You’ve taken something from me and I hate you,’ are just a few things I would say to cancer if it was a person,” says Michael Hale, a germ cell cancer survivor from the Ottawa area who has been cancer-free since 1999. “More than anything I would scream ‘I’ll outlast you in any fight!’”
Although Hale says cancer would be a truly despicable person, he says that when he was forced to confront the disease head-on it gave him the opportunity to see the world from another perspective. Through this lens, Hale saw how caring, loving and devoted his family, friends, doctors and even strangers – who were battling the same disease – were. It was these people’s support that helped him win his fight against cancer.
“If cancer was a person, it would be the worst kind of bully because it gives you an overwhelming sense of loneliness and fear,” adds Hale. “Participating in Relay For Life helped give me the strength I needed to confront the bully that had invaded my life. At the Relay I was surrounded by all kinds of people who were laughing, cheering and who genuinely cared. It was like walking into a big, protective hug.”
Relay For Life is a 12-hour, overnight relay where participants, survivors and volunteers rally together to celebrate the lives of those who are battling cancer, remember loved ones lost to cancer and fight back against the disease.
• Since 1999, Relay For Life has raised more than $107 million in Ontario for the fight against cancer.
• This year, an estimated 80,000 people in more than 200 events across Ontario will register as Relay For Life fighters.
• The money raised by Relay For Life helps fight cancer by preventing it from happening in the first place; outsmarting it through research; and empowering, informing, supporting and improving the quality of life for Canadians living with cancer.
More information can be found at www.relayforlife.ca.
Pick a fight with cancer
(NC)—From parenting teens to negotiating office politics, it is widely known that you should choose your fights carefully. But there is one fight every Canadian should pick – the fight against cancer.
“Right now, we’re calling on all Ontarians to get out their fighting spirit and become a Relay For Life fighter in their communities,” says Sandra Harris, director of Relay For Life, for the Canadian Cancer Society in Ontario. “By giving 12 hours to the fight against cancer, as part of the biggest cancer event in the country, participants can add years to the lives of others.”
Relay For Life is a unique and unforgettable way to pick a fight with cancer. During the annual 12-hour, overnight event, fighters – participants, survivors and volunteers – rally together to celebrate the lives of those who are battling cancer, remember loved ones lost to cancer, and fight back against the disease. They take turns walking, running or strolling around a track and with each step, they fight back against cancer. This year, an estimated 80,000 people in more than 200 events across Ontario will register as Relay For Life fighters.
“I have so many favourite moments from the 10 years I’ve participated in Relay For Life,” says Michael Hale, a germ cell cancer survivor from the Ottawa area. “From my first Relay when my friends surrounded the track and cheered me on, to years later walking the Survivor’s Victory Lap with my little girl after I had feared for years I’d never get the chance to have children. Most of all, I love smiling at the faces in the survivor’s tent every year and sharing an unspoken ‘we did it.’”
Each community’s Relay For Life features three popular elements designed to give hope and inspiration to everyone fighting cancer. The events begin with the inaugural Survivors’ Victory Lap, where a large group of cancer survivors leads the way around the track as a celebration of courage and strength. At twilight, candles bearing the names of cancer survivors – along with those who have lost the battle against the disease – are lit as part of the moving Luminary Ceremony. At dawn, there is a Fight Back Ceremony where participants commit to celebrating, remembering and fighting back 365 days a year.
Since 1999, Relay For Life has raised more than $107 million in Ontario to fight cancer by preventing it from happening in the first place; outsmarting it through research; and empowering, informing, supporting and improving the quality of life for Canadians living with cancer.
• Overall, the number of new cases of cancer and deaths continues to increase as our population grows and ages.
• On average 3,300 Canadians will be diagnosed with cancer every week.
• Approximately two in five Canadians will develop cancer in their lifetimes and approximately one out of every four Canadians will die from the disease.
• The breast cancer death rate has declined by more than 30 per cent since 1986.
• The prostate cancer death rate has declined significantly since 1995.
• Since 1985 childhood cancer death rates have declined by about 50 per cent.
More information and tools to register for the event can be found at www.relayforlife.ca.
www.newscanada.com
Compiled by: Christine Koserski, Public Affairs, Canadian Cancer Society
