The Chatham Relay for Life has had an impact on many people and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars over its 15-year life span, and each one is still special to one of the original committee members.
Cathy Telfer, a two-time survivor of melanoma, was diagnosed the first time before the very first Relay. It is the reason she began volunteering with the Chatham office of the Canadian Cancer Society. She and manager Cindy Vinall worked to put an event together, looking at what other communities had in place.
“We went and saw other Relays and but we didn’t know if this was something the community would accept and join,” Telfer said. “And then the first one, Cindy and I walked around and saw all the tents everywhere. From the very first one, I am still moved by the Survivors’ Lap; it still gives me chills. Some recently diagnosed and some 50-year survivors.”
The luminary ceremony, which happens at dusk where candles are lit to remember loved ones and honour people still fighting, is special to Telfer as well; an experience that she said is very moving and all part of the celebrating and remembering aspects of Relay.
“Relay is a family event, with children’s entertainment, and it’s important to have the community out to be a part of it,” Telfer said. “People can join in teams or as individuals. The theme this year is, Cancer changes everything, so can you. That’s a wonderful way to describe it because cancer changes your life, your relationships.”
The money raised goes to important cancer research that Telfer said is helping prolong lives, come up with new and less invasive treatments that are more personalized, and even finding some cures for the more than 100 different types of cancer out there.
“Researchers are looking at things like immunotherapy, where they teach the body how to use its immune system to fight the cancer. That is new out there and less invasive,” Telfer noted.
Wheels of Hope is a local program paid for by money raised that gives rides to cancer patients to and from appointments, as is the peer support program that matches newly diagnosed patients with people similar to them but further down the road in their journey.
With the new six-hour Relay format that began last year, Telfer said she thinks people are getting used to it and it works well for families who may not be able to stay overnight.
“You still have all the important aspects that make Relay, like the Survivors’ Lap and luminary ceremony,” Telfer noted.
For Telfer as a survivor, she knows first-hand how it feels to first hear the word “cancer.”
“The first time I was diagnosed, I felt almost like a fraud. You can see melanoma and remove it. Then you see people dealing with long-term effects and treatments,” Telfer said. “And then after 10 years, the cancer came back.”
Then three years later, her husband Bob was diagnosed with cancer and he started walking Relay with Telfer.
“When you get that diagnosis, you automatically look down the road that your life is over, but now Bob is healthy and our grandchild is 11 years old,” Telfer added. “There will never be a cure, because there isn’t a disease, but taking part in Relay is something you have control over during a time when you feel out of control. You get positivity from people at Relay from people who understand and it’s a different level of understanding when survivors get together.”
The Blenheim Relay for Life is set for June 2 and the Chatham Relay is set for June 9. Anyone wanting more information or to get involved, or buy a luminary can call the Cancer Society office at (519) 352-3960.
