Today marks the 11th Relay for Life in Pacifica. My friend Zoe was involved from Year #1, and after she lost her battle with breast cancer 2 years later, her family (mother, 3 sisters, 3 nieces) have carried on the effort in her memory and in the memory of and to honor far too many family members and friends. I doubt I know a single person who has not been touched in some way by this horrific disease. One year I counted those my family has lost to cancer, and I stopped myself because the number was far too overwhelming. And I'm not alone in this reality. We all grieve for the loss of those who are gone too soon.
My participation in the event is much less than it was, but I do try to get there each year for at least part of the weekend to support my friends and to reflect for a time and then to look forward to the day when we will walk no more -- cancer will be conquered and eradicated from the earth. People will read about it in history books and it will no longer be a household word. Where is our 'Jonas Salk' for a cancer vaccine?
The Pacifica Relay has in the previous 10 years raised over $1-million for cancer research. The dollars may have been raised a little bit here, a little bit there -- baby steps. But nevertheless, the finish line is reachable, whether you crawl, or walk or run. Believe in Hope. And know that every step toward the goal is as important as the last one. Get your mammograms and colonoscopies, quit smoking, eat more nutritiously, live well and laugh often, and most of all, love.
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