Why I Relay

It started out just like many of the other Fridays before it. My closest girlfriends and I had season tickets to the Broadway series touring through Portland…5th row seats for Saturday night performances. Normally we would send emails back and forth all day beginning the Friday before the show, discussing everything from what we should wear, where we should eat and if we would be heading anywhere after the show. Lori had been uncharacteristically silent that day. She hadn’t chimed in on any of our emails, but I had just assumed it was a really busy day for her at work. At around 5pm my phone rang, it was Lori. “Jenn, I’m not going to be able to make the show tomorrow night.” I was trying to come up with some snarky comment when her voice broke, “Lillian has a tumor in her brain, it’s cancer.” What do you say to someone who has just told you that their precious two-year-old has cancer? I don’t really remember much of the rest of our conversation.

For the next 7 months, I watched my dear friend do everything she could to help her daughter fight this ugly disease. Sweet Lillian lost her beautiful brown hair and her adorable chubby cheeks. About a month before Easter, we celebrated the fact that Lillian had completed chemo…things were looking up. Then, something took a hold of her precious little body and after a month in the ICU, Lillian lost her battle with cancer. It was just a few days before Easter and I remember thinking how surreal it all was. I was working for my church at the time and had been spending my time preparing to celebrate the resurrection of Christ, while watching my friend say goodbye to her little girl. I felt so helpless and hopeless. I wanted to do something…something to show Lori and her husband, Jeff, how much I love them…something that would help ease their pain…something that would ensure that NOBODY would ever have to watch their loved one battle such a hateful disease.

Then we met Becci who soon became so dear to us. Becci had just lost her mother (who was also her best friend) to breast cancer. Becci asked if Lori if we participated in Relay for Life…we didn’t…yet. Three years ago our Relay for Life team, Walking with Angels, was formed (http://www.walkingwithangels.net/). We are a team lead by two of the most amazing, courageous women I’ve ever known. Lori, a mother who lost her daughter to cancer and Becci, a daughter who lost her mother to cancer. I relay for them as well as in memory of my great-grandfather and in memory of my husband’s grandfather. We are also a team that likes to have FUN! We have won the spirit award every year that we have participated.

If you would like to participate in our team, please let me know. We are a part of the Lake Oswego Relay for Life, which will begin at 10am on Saturday, July 11th and goes until Sunday, July 12th at 10am…you can join us for all or a portion-whatever works best. We are also hosting a fundraiser at Papa’s Pizza on Tuesday, June 16th from open to close. 50% of all proceeds (when you bring in our flyer) will go to the American Cancer Society. There will also be some drawings for some really cool prizes. You can go here to see the items (let me know if you want to purchase raffle tix for them): http://lori-thenextchapter.blogspot.com/2009/05/relay-for-life-fundraisers.html.My family and I are planning on being at Papa's at around 6pm. Finally, you can make a donation directly to the Walking with Angels team. My individual goal is to raise $500. You can go to http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY09GW?px=3728953&pg=personal&fr_id=14746 to get more information or make a donation. How cool would it be if we could find a cure to cancer in our lifetime? Please join us in the fight!