Relay set for its fourth run in Santa Monica
By Daily Press staff
Santa Monicans next month will rally together for 24 hours to battle cancer.
The American Cancer Society Relay For Life is an overnight team event that raises awareness of cancer in the community and raises money to fight the disease. Teams are made up of people who will walk or run around a track in shifts. The registration fee is $150, and each team member is encouraged to raise a minimum of $100. Team participants camp out and enjoy music, entertainment and refreshments as well as build team spirit in the fight against cancer.
Organizers say the power of the event relay allows the community to grieve for those who have been lost to cancer and to celebrate the lives of those who have successfully survived. It gives everyone, from the newly diagnosed patient to the caregivers of those who have struggled with the disease, an opportunity to be with others who have been touched by cancer.
The event begins on Saturday, July 23, at 9 a.m. and runs continuously until 9 a.m. on Sunday, July 24. It will be held at Santa Monica College’s Corsair Field, 1900 Pico Blvd.
Leading up to the event, the Daily Press will highlight volunteers’ stories.
Joanne Sell
Age: 44
Residence: Torrance
Profession: Purchasing and logistics specialist at Toyota Technical Center in Gardena.
What is your role in the Relay for Life and what is your committee responsible for?
“Registration chairperson. The committee is responsible for welcoming all visitors and participants at the event, for ensuring that all participants have submitted waivers for walking, for providing T-shirts, and for maintaining team rosters.”
How did you get involved in Relay for Life?
“I was recruited three years ago by my college friend, Linda Lovett, team captain of the now infamous “Fighting Flamingos.” Lovett was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2001, so many of our college friends and family rallied to support her recovery. When she asked us to participate in Relay, we gladly accepted.”
What has been your experience so far?
“This is my third relay. At the first, I wasn’t sure what to expect and was pleasantly surprised by all the people having such a good time. It seemed so organized, and I’ve always loved being a team member, so I volunteered last year and this year to be on the committee. I love the group commitment to this single cause, knowing that cancer has touched almost everyone is sobering and you can feel this intensity at relay. I love the stories, the success stories and the sad stories.”
What has been your experience with cancer?
“I lost four people that I loved in four years during the late 1980s, one of them being my mother at age 46. I was 26 at the time, newly married, just getting to the age where she and I were beginning to be more friends than mother/daughter. She was so charged with life and energy that it seemed impossible for anything like that could strike her down. I watched her for nine months as she struggled with all the physical, emotional, financial and spiritual challenges that come with a cancer diagnosis. Her dying was the most difficult thing I’ve ever had deal with. It took me years to be able to walk into a church without breaking down, remembering her funeral. It took me years to look at a mother-daughter pair in a mall without feeling resentment. It was so difficult when I had my own child to realize that I didn’t have my mother to call and get advice from. Finally, about 13 years after her death, I made a therapeutic photo album dedicated to my mother. It sounds a little corny, but I really believe this small action kicked off a flow of healing that has directed me to relay. I feel strong enough to want to help others who are touched by cancer. This is my gift to my mother’s memory.”
What would you tell someone about this event that doesn’t know about it?
“Go. Participate. There are so many activities at Relay that are bound to interest each and every person. Remember that even if you don’t have cancer close to you now, the odds that you will be touched in some way are still pretty high. Bring the kids to Relay. What an excellent way to teach them about giving back.”
Why are you involved in this event, and not others that raise money for cancer?
“I’m in it for the fact that I’ve been personally touched by this disease more so than any other. Last year, my cousin died of lung cancer, age 44. My boyfriend’s mother has survived cancer twice, my friend Aly is a two-time breast cancer survivor. And I’ve already mentioned Linda. There are many more. I want to see these wonderful people continue to survive, and for those that haven’t survived, I want to be part of a group that honors their memory.”
What does your committee need?
“I think we have everything we need at this point for registration. But I know we can always use donations of food, drinks, and of course, money for the cause.”
(For more information on Relay for LIfe, contact the American Cancer Society at 310-348-0356 or www.acsevents.org/relay/ca/santamonica)
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 22, 2005. Read the original PDF.