This weekend took off like a bullet train, with an overnight at the Leon County Fairgrounds Friday night for Relay for Life. The express tour continued through the Red Hills Kids Triathlon and the 4th Annual Holocaust Essay/Art Awards Ceremony. The train is slowing down and pulling into the station now. Each of the three “stops” I have mentioned contained at least one blogworthy moment. Tonight, however, belongs to Relay for Life.
I have been Relaying for a while now (since 2003). For the past three years, I have been captain of the Gulf Winds Track Club team. For this year’s Relay, one of the teams (The Tallahassee Chrome Divas) was selling “Relay beads.” I started off with a string and one bead; by the time the Chrome Divas packed up, I was at bead #24:
Chuck Kiger – my brother in law who survived cancer but passed away from other causes shortly after getting a clean bill of health.
Pam Stokes – a coworker and cancer survivor.
Terry Massa, a friend and cancer survivor.
Kenney Shipley, a role model.
Fran McLean, a GWTC Relay for Life team member and survivor.
Linda McNeal, a GWTC Relay for Life team member and survivor.
Bill Milford, a friend who I did not know was a survivor until I saw him in his survivor shirt Friday night.
Seab Rucker, my grandfather who died of stomach cancer.
Layla Grace Marsh, a young girl of 3 or 4 who died of cancer. I only “knew” her through Twitter and the web, but her family’s openness made me feel like a member of the family.
Lucy Dinnes, a parishioner with me at Park Avenue United Methodist Church in New York City who passed away from cancer.
Tom Meehan, my coworker’s husband who is a cancer survivor.
DeeDee Rasmussen, my friend who is a cancer survivor.
Robin Dunn Bryant, who I did not know was a cancer survivor until she and her family became contestants on the “We Live Fit” challenge and their lives became “an open book.”
Robin Roberts, host of Good Morning America and cancer survivor.
Lattice Marie Davis, my aunt who died of breast cancer.
Lew Killian, fellow parishioner at Holy Comforter Episcopal Church and cancer survivor.
Don Carraway, fellow parishioner at Holy Comforter Episcopal Church and cancer survivor.
Janice Zaehring, Wayne’s kindergarten teacher who was diagnosed with breast cancer in November of his kindergarten year and did radiation treatments at a super early time every morning so she wouldn’t have to miss any time with her class.
Jackie Palmieri, my friend and cancer survivor.
Andrea Hartley, who passed away from cancer. We were only acquaintances, but I was touched (blown away actually) by her fight at such a young age, and by a photo tribute I saw of her and her daughter, Emma, with Jack Johnson’s “Upside Down” playing within it.
That song, Upside Down, has a line in it that states, Please don’t go away.
Our team member Fran’s dog, Muddy, was always “first in line” to be washed at the annual Gulf Winds Track Club car/dog wash for Relay for Life. Muddy lost his life to cancer between last year’s relay and this year’s. Fran had a luminaria for him (one of the bags filled with sand and a candle, used to light the path during Relay).
Wife of one, Mom of two, Friend of many. My pronouns are she/her/hers.
Susan Fields says
What a lovely story about Muddy's candle still being lit! God works in wonderful ways.
You know so many people touched by cancer. It's great that you can take part in this awesome event!