For 24 hours beginning Saturday with a single lap by survivors, through a candlelight vigil to honor those touched by the illness, to the final participant crossing the finish line Sunday, at least one member of each of the 47 teams did their best to keep the momentum going in the city’s sixth annual American Cancer Society Relay for Life.
Now in its 25th year, the relays bring more than 3.5 million people from 5,000 communities across the country together to celebrate those battling cancer, remember loved ones lost, and help fight the disease by raising money for the American Cancer Society and increasing awareness about cancer prevention.
Organizers and patients urged people to stay vigilant about their health by quitting smoking and keeping mammograms and colonoscopies current.
“I think it’s neglectful if people don’t do the screenings, get checkups,” said Sylvan Markman, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer two years ago. Born in Belgium, the 71-year-old filmmaker relaxed in the shade, content to be in the open air.
Others slept off the lazy afternoon in tents they pitched around the ball field’s perimeter.
Lulls in the action gave volunteers the opportunity to implore those between the ages of 30 and 65 with no history of cancer to participate in the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Prevention Study-3, a long-term research study that will examine the connections between lifestyle, environmental, genetic factors and cancer. The cancer society plans to enroll 500,000 adults from various racial and ethnic backgrounds.
