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Relay for Life celebrates survivors, raises money for ACS

5 min read
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Janice Coen is a two-time cancer survivor.

In 2002, she was diagnosed with lymphoma, and the North Franklin Township resident underwent chemotherapy and radiation treatment to fight the aggressive cancer.

Two days before Christmas she was declared cancer-free, “the best Christmas gift I ever got,” she said.

But 10 years later, Coen was diagnosed with uterine cancer which, at the time, had a five-year survival rate below 50 percent. Chemotherapy and radiation again proved successful, and Coen, 66, has been cancer-free for seven years.

Coen will be among the cancer survivors, patients, caregivers and family members who will participate in Chartiers-Houston’s 25th annual Relay for Life, the American Cancer Society’s signature fundraising event, at Allison Park Elementary School on Saturday.

Relay for Life kicks off with the opening ceremony and survivor walk at 10:45 a.m. and continues until 11 p.m. with food, games and music.

More than 80 survivors have registered to participate in the survivor lap, said Nancy Verderber, senior community development manager for ACS.

In addition to raising money for the American Cancer Society, Relay for Life offers survivors an opportunity to share their stories and celebrate what they have overcome. The event also remembers those who have died.

Coen has been a longtime Relay for Life volunteer, and she currently serves on the leadership team, which plans the event.

“After I finished treatment and got my all clear, a friend who had a relay team said, ‘Now that you are past the critical stage, you need to give back.’ I’m like that anyway, and I planned to,” said Coen. “I feel like there’s a reason I survived two nasty cancers, and I need to do something to help find a cure.”

About 29 teams are participating in Saturday’s event. This year’s theme, “Silver Screen(ing),” celebrates the movies and cancer screenings.

While it sounds like Relay for Life is a race, it’s not.

Once the event begins, each team has a member walk on the track at all times.

Relay for Life includes a variety of entertainment options both to raise money and to keep participants motivated.

Since 1995, the local relay has raised more than $4,378,620 to fund research by the American Cancer Society and to support local cancer programs including Road to Recovery, which provides transportation for cancer patients who don’t have a way to get treatment, and a 24/7 hotline number.

Judy Stepp, a cancer survivor who serves as accounting lead on the event leadership team, was a 38-year-old mother of two when she was diagnosed with breast cancer 22 years ago.

The unwavering support of her family and friends helped Stepp get through her lumpectomy and subsequent chemotherapy and radiation.

But she isn’t the only one in her family who has been impacted by cancer – her mother-in-law died from breast cancer and multiple cell myeloma last year, and her sister-in-law has been diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer.

“Cancer is everywhere. It’s terrible,” said Stepp. “As a country, as a whole, we need to figure this out, how to treat it and how to cure it. Whatever we can do to help find a cure, we will do. I’ll keep trying.”

The event also includes two other special ceremonies, in addition to the survivor lap.

The remembrance event slated for 9 p.m. involves lining the track with luminaria dedicated to people who have been lost to cancer. Many teams also gather at their campsites for a period of reflection, where they can share how they have been affected by cancer.

Betty Sebastian, 82, of Chartiers Township, is a two-time cancer survivor. Her husband, Frank, died from non-Hodgkins lymphoma in 1995.

A member of the C-H Relay for Life’s survivor committee, Sebastian said raising money for research is critical to finding a cure.

“There is a lot more research being done now. They’ve come a long way,” said Sebastian. “Maybe my husband would have been able to have lived longer if the treatments available today were available back then.”

When Relay for Life draws to a close, the final ceremony, “fight back,” takes place, and participants vow to continue the fight against cancer throughout the year.

Lauren Scarberry, 58, has participated in Relay for Life for about 15 years as both a caregiver and a survivor.

A cousin died from cancer at the age of 21, and Scarberry’s parents both are cancer survivors.

In August 2017, she underwent a double mastectomy months after being diagnosed with breast cancer.

“I felt like it took on a whole new meaning to be able to participate as a survivor after years of participating as a caregiver,” said Scarberry. “I remember when Relay for Life just started at C-H, you weren’t allowed to say the word ‘cure,’ but now, today, we are looking to cure cancer.”

Verderber invited the community to stop by throughout the day to participate in activities and “come and experience it.”

Because of research, made possible in part because of Relay for Life funding, cancer is “no longer a death sentence,” Verderber said.

“Yes, we’re losing people,” she said, “but we’re saving so many more.”

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