Welcome!
Relay For Life is the American Cancer Society’s premier activity to raise funds for ALL types of cancer; it offers people an active way to fight this insiduous disease.
How does it work? At the Greater Derry/Londonderry Relay for Life, teams of people camp out at Pinkerton Academy football field and take turns walking around the quarter-mile track. Each team is asked to have a representative on the track at all times during the 18-hour, overnight event. One Body of Hope is St. Jude Parish's Relay for Life Team.
St. Paul tells us in Ephesians that some are called as apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers for building up the body of Christ. Today we are called again, some as Team Walkers, others as Team Rockers, others as Team Supporters and donors for building up One Body of Hope, to help heal and protect members of our community.
Relay For Life is a life-changing event that brings together more than 3.5 million people around the world to celebrate survivors and to remember our loved ones who have lost their battle with cancer. Most importantly, it's a time to fight back with hope, humor and unfailing spirit.
Why Relay?
Who’s next? Will I receive the news, or will it be you? Will the news be about one of us, a member of our family, our friend?
My neighbor Keira was given her news during Christmas vacation; a six-year-old girl should not number a cancer diagnosis among her Christmas gifts. My friend Nicole took her two-year-old son to the doctor thinking he bruised his ribs while wrestling with his older brother; two days later Hunter underwent surgery to remove the tumor on his kidney, the tumor that had ruptured during the horseplay. Toddlers should not have their play interrupted by cancer. My business associate Lance received his news one beautiful spring day: Level 4 cancer was eating away his strong, burly body. This dynamic father of three children, none of whom had yet reached their teenage years, was given 6-12 months to live; he died four months later. Daddies should be able to watch their kids grow up.
Three friends, three families whose lives have touched mine; their futures have dramatically impacted my own. It is for Keira, Hunter and Lance that I Relay. For Keira’s, Hunter’s and Lance’s families that I will walk for a cure, walk for hope.
And although the stories are heartbreaking, tragic, nothing about the Relay for Life can be described as such. Relay is all about hope for the future, all about surviving and beating the odds, all about honoring the courage and strength of those who have lost their battle. Relay is an affirmation of life, a declaration that the fight for a cure is still being waged.
One Body of Hope and the other teams taking part in the Relay for Life of Greater Derry and Londonderry will start walking at 6:00 p.m. on Friday night and won’t stop until noon the next day. For eighteen hours we’ll take up the fight for a cure, raising money for research, as well as for programs that support cancer victims and their families in our own community, for Keira, Hunter and Lance.
Can you help? You bet. Check out the How Can I Help page to find a way.
Why do I Relay? I Relay for my friends. I Relay for hope and a cure. I Relay for dolls for Christmas, sibling rivalry and next Father’s Day.
What about you? Why should you Relay?
Bonnie Roberts
co-Team Captain
One Body of Hope – St. Jude’s
(603) 426-5438
broberts@live.com
