By Khalida Sarwari
A mere two days after the Relay for Life wrapped up in Saratoga, the program’s lead coordinator, Thierry Doyen, was already thinking about next year’s event while reflecting on the successes of the previous weekend.
Doyen and his fellow participants raised about $48,500 by the end of the weekend, exceeding last year’s total figure of about $42,000–this year the Saratoga and Los Gatos Relay events were consolidated for the first time–and there is still another month to go before the donation deadline.
“Cancer never stops, and neither do we,” said Doyen.
There was no stopping the 102 participants over the weekend, who collectively walked 10,500 laps around the St. Andrew’s Field despite the 95-degree heat, compared to 5,153 laps last year. A total of 21 teams participated in the July 23-24 program and between 250 and 300 walkers, said Doyen. Among them were cancer survivors, along with their families and caregivers.
Simran Mallik, a 15-year-old sophomore at Saratoga High School and a cancer survivor, gave a speech about being diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma at the age of 9, overcoming it and now being involved in cancer awareness efforts. She also performed a song she wrote on her guitar.
“She was given her wish by the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and she and her family went to Hawaii for a week,” Doyen said. “But she managed to beat her cancer, and now she’s a striving survivor. Because of what she went through, she has an outlook on life that is just unbelieveable.”
Michele Crowe, an elementary school teacher, shared a similarly inspiring story about her battle with colon cancer in her late 40s.
“Often, I seemed to be the youngest person in the chemo infusion room,” she said as part of her speech. “To say my unexpected cancer detour was surreal would be an understatement.”
Still, her cancer made her stronger, she said. It made her aware of the importance of people and making time for them and of savoring the small moments and serendipitous happenings of life.
The weekend also included activities, food, live music courtesy of students from St. Andrew’s Episcopal School and Saratoga High, onsite fundraisers and entertainment, with constant walking in between. There were events that celebrated and honored cancer survivors, such as a survivor walk, a luncheon for survivors and a luminaria ceremony at sunset.
Relay for Life is a 24-hour event held annually by the American Cancer Society to honor people who have passed away from cancer and raise money for those suffering from the disease. All proceeds from the event will go toward funding cancer research, education and patient support services. This was Saratoga’s 13th Relay event. Their slogan this year was “remember, celebrate, fight back.”
There is still time to donate to the 2016 Relay for Life. Visit relayforlife.org/saratogaca.
“Now that we’ve reached the $48,000 goal, we’d love to get the stretch goal which is $60,000,” Doyen said.
Link:
Los Gatos, Saratoga: Relay for Life raises over $48K, and counting!
