My mother, Joyce, is a 16-year survivor of breast cancer. Friday night was Delaware County's Relay For Life. This event is jointed with the American Cancer Society and honors and remembers the people whose lives were affected by cancer. So far I have experienced two different county's Relay For Life events, and they were pretty similar. Each included a track for walking/running/jogging, the Survivors Lap, Caregivers/loved ones lap, team laps, luminaries, and other events throughout the the time. Here is a link to learn more about ACS's Relay For Life event and to find the closest one nearest you.

This is an incredible event. And it so humbling to go to a Relay. For me, it puts life in a clear-cut perspective: life, can be and is short; most of the time it is even shorter than one might realize. Luminaries (bags weighed down with sand and a candle) around the track either say "In Memory of" or "In Honor of." The first is for those who may be gone from this life because they have lost the battle (against cancer), but they aren't forgotten. And the latter for ones who are still fighting the fight or fought and won the battle. It's hard to not get choked up watching the Survivor Lap. Anyone who realizes the gravity of those few minutes will tell you how silent it starts off. Soon the clapping starts and the everyone is cheering as they make their way around the track. It's an emotional journey for everyone.

Ever since my mother was diagnosed in 2000, I have been to 9 events to support her and her courageous battle. I was about four when my mother received the diagnosis and now I'm 20. So I don't remember much, except what my family tells me. I know it was hard for my mother to balance three growing children, a husband, jobs, and then add radiation and chemotherapy treatments. At times she was overwhelmed, frustrated, and wondered why God did this thing to her. But she said then and continues to reminds myself and my siblings to this day that if God brings you to it, He will bring you through it. And He did. My mother's faith in the doctors, nurses, family, friends, and many others, and most importantly her faith in God brought her through it. She got to see my siblings and I graduate from high school, my brother and sister graduate from college, and in another year and half, she'll watch me walk the stage and graduate. She will experience her own graduation with an AA degree next spring. She will experience so much more; it's like she got a second chance at life.

While I can't speak for her and all that she went through, I can speak for all that I have learned from watching and listening about her experiences. My mom is a fighter. (Personally, I think she could give the great Ali a run for his money.) She never once gave up, even when the odds seemed against her. "Melissa, giving up was never an option for me. I had you and your siblings and dad looking to me to fight this." She once told me. She is my inspiration when I have trouble finding a will to fight on. If she could find hope, will, and a reason to fight on, despite the challenges she faced, then I can, too.

This event is something so close to my heart because my mom and other people whose lives have been affected by cancer. Some people weren't as lucky. Some people found out too late and the cancer already took over their bodies. They are the reason why I relay. I relay for my mom. I relay for my grandma. I relay for all the close family-friends who lost the fight to cancer. I relay for those who continue the fight. I relay for those are not able to walk. I relay because the world needs more birthdays.