I’m not entirely certain why I started participating in Relay for Life. I think it was at least in part because a bunch of my friends were taking part and it was a chance to hang out with them. At the time of my first Relay, I was thinking to myself that it was silly to be there, it’s not like I’d ever known anyone with cancer.
Yeah, a little forgetful there. I didn’t know Larry particularly well, but about four years before my first participation in Relay for Life, an acquaintance out in Nevada, Larry Borino, lost his battle with cancer. And although it was about 10 years before I was born, my own grandfather fell victim to cancer. So although I didn’t think about it ten years ago cancer had in fact affected me.
These days, I continue to participate in Relay for Life, and these days I know my reason: I know people with cancer. (Statistically, just about everyone does.)
AJ just had her six month check-up on the 14th. I’m delighted to say that she passed with flying colors and is still cancer-free.
Hodo’s brother Chris is fighting the good fight with colon cancer. I just checked in with her a few days ago and although the news isn’t as good as I was hoping, it was still good news with measurable improvements.
Marauder is coming up on two years since the removal of his cancerous thyroid gland. Despite the passage of time, he’s still finding ways to put the occasional odd twist on his experience.
Most recently, I learned that Bob Greenberger‘s son Robbie has been diagnosed with Leukemia. I’ve met Robbie, but don’t know him well enough to point him out to people. I learned Robbie was ill two weeks ago, but wasn’t sure how much the family was “going public” with the information, so I’ve kept quiet about it.
Catching up on Bob’s blog this morning, it turns out that they’re being very public about it. More than half of Bob’s posts from the past two weeks have been about Robbie’s treatment. If you’re into knitting, Robbie’s sister Kate (a minor celebrity in her own right) is doing a fund-raiser for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society with lots of shiny prizes in the form of very colorful yarn. In just 10 days she’s raised nearly $2,000! (I’m not sure what that particular hue would be, but color me impressed!)
And this all serves as a reminder that it’s time for me to start my fundraising for Relay for Life (coming up the night of May 31 – June 1). If you donated last year, you can be certain that I’ll be asking you again this year. If you’d like to get a head start, you can head on over to http://main.acsevents.org/goto/ThatBlairGuy and donate online.