As you all may know, Relay For Life was Saturday, marking yet another successful year in the books for the town of Methuen, Massachusetts. Six years ago I started my first Relay For Life team compiled of some of my closest friends, all with the same goal in mind: no more cancer.

My team's name is Teenage Dream, and together we raise as much money as possible in hope of creating a world that no one will have to hear the words "you have cancer" ever again. During my first year participating, little did I know, the 12 seemingly never-ending hours of walking the track would change my life one step at a time. During my first Relay, and every Relay afterward, I gained a whole new sense of community; one that inspired me to do more with my life. None of us have the right to complain about walking the 12-hours, considering it doesn't even come close to comparison of what the innocent cancer patients have to go through on a daily basis.

For 12 hours a year somewhere between late May and early June, the community becomes one and gathers at the high school track. Before your very own eyes you experience a hard working community come together and rally for a cure. Without a doubt crying at this event becomes pretty much impossible to escape, no matter how "tough" you truly think you are. Emotions are all over the place while we hold each bawling our eyes out. We walk while remembering those we lost to this horrendous disease. We embrace our survivors, cherishing every single moment we get to spend with them even if it's just a few minutes, inspired by their relentless fight and strength. We take each other by the hand as we walk together along the track, knowing that with each step we take, we become one step closer to finding a cure for the disease which continues to engulf the lives of innocent people.

It's safe to say that the moment when it all hits you just how many people cancer has affected, is during the heart breaking lumineria lap. That's when tissues are being passed down the line, crying is inevitable and hugs are a must. This is a time to honor people who have been touched by cancer, and to remember loved ones we've lost to the disease.

Candles are lit inside bags filled with sand, each uniquely decorated bag displaying the name of a person who have passed away or of a survivor. Participants are often in silence during this specific lap, hearing only faint whispers of encouragement and the muffled sound of people sniffling. 'Til this very day, and probably every year 'til I'm older, I will forever be taken back by the scene and emotions running through that track yearly.

Methuen is lucky enough to be home of some very dedicated but also generous residents. Every year we raise quit a bit of money. Due to this, we usually raise more than $100,000, and the track is always filled with joyful, ready to help volunteers of all ages. Everyone has their reasons to participate in Relay and who they Relay for. In my case I choose to Relay in memory of my Uncle Stephen and Auntie Stacey, who have unfortunately passed due to this detrimental disease called cancer.

I participate in hope of one day never hearing that someone else I deeply care about has cancer. No one, even my worst enemy should be put through a family member having cancer, no one deserves that. Each lap I walk and every minute I spend at Relay or planning for Relay, is done in memory of those who, like my uncle and aunt, have lost their battles. I feel as if we can raise enough money to help even just one person, then we are making a difference in the world. You can ask anyone involved with Relay for Life, and you will find that somehow, cancer has affected everyone.

This year's Relay For Life was particularly special for the Methuen community. A few months ago we unfortunately lost a beloved part of every aspect in the town. Arthur Nicholson III, also known as "Mr. Nick," could always be found at every sporting event or awards ceremony imaginable. You could always spot him at these events sporting his blue blazer, beige khakis and boat shoes to top the outfit off.

The end of February is when his life got completely turned over; he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He put up a fight like we all expected him to, however he passed away the beginning of March. He was one of the sole reasons this year people gathered, in order to honor him. Since Relay started in Methuen, Arthur always made it his responsibility to be at every luminaria lap, every single year. As Principal Richard Barden had said at Relay this year, he doesn't believe Arthur missed the luminaria lap not even once all these years,he always made it. That in itself shows the true commitment Mr.Nick had made to his community. His pride and joy was the town of Methuen, therefore the least we could all do was walk in memory of him, with him in our thoughts.

Lauren Arsenault, Caitlyn Haneffant, and Kelsey Davis are just a few of the residents in Methuen who have been affected by cancer personally and have chose to Relay to make a difference. The end goal for us all is to find a cure eventually however here's why each individual Relays and who they Relay for.

In Lauren Arsenault's words, this is why she Relays:

"I've been involved with Relay since I was pretty young. My older siblings always were involved since the first year [that Methuen had it], and because of them I was also involved. As I got older, I continued my families tradition in participating in relay. This is when cancer started to have a direct impact on my life, causing people I know and love to suffer. Relay offers that place to not only raise money and fight back, but to bring together people who hurt for the same reason. Because of this I continue to be a part of relay for as long as I can."

Kelsey Davis has unfortunately been directly affected by cancer, here is her story of why she Relays:

"I Relay primarily because it has affected so many people in a negative way. My mom is a two-time breast cancer survivor, and I would do anything to prevent another person from going through the pain and fear she had. It's a great event to get involved with, I think if you don't have money to donate, the next best thing you can give is your time! "

It's very rare to know someone that has not been affected by cancer in any way. Here is Caitlyn Haneffant's personal story of why Relay means so much to her and her family:
"I relay for my grandfather and best friend Lauren, who lost their battles to cancer 10- years ago. I relay for my mother who is a cancer survivor. I relay so that no one hears the words “You have cancer.” I relay not only to inspire others, but to also save them. I relay so that there can be more birthdays. Losing someone to cancer is the worst feeling. Hopefully one day cancer is just a zodiac sign and not a disease."

I think it's safe to say that Methuen and I can't thank Relay For Life enough. Thank you for giving us all the opportunity and power to stand up to the awful disease taking over the world. Thank you for giving us at least some reason to keep hope even times when it seems like there's no such thing as hope. Lastly, thank you for teaching this community how to come together as one for such an amazing cause. There's nothing we all want more other than finally finding a cure while creating more birthdays in this world. 'Til next year Relay, we will meet again. Methuen and I are ready to continue to step up to the challenge of giving our time for 12-hours and raising as much money as possible. There is no finish line till we find a cure for all. Together we find hope. We won't stop, 'til cancer stops! We are just cruisin' for a cure, and we stop at no cost.