Cheers, claps and laughter filled the air as people in purple T-shirts moved up to the starting line. They were ready to begin the first lap of a 24-hour relay where team members took turns walking around the track to raise money for the American Cancer Society.
Relay for Life, held June 24 at Newark Memorial High School, raised $137,000 and attracted 500 people. But the relay had one emotional dimension that most sports events don't: Most of the walkers had battled cancer and survived.
These cancer survivors were there for one life-affirming cause: raising money to find a cure. As they walked around the track, the survivors were cheered on by friends and relatives. Stories of life after cancer mingled with the chatter of those walking just to help. Some knew their future was uncertain, and others were sure they had a long life ahead. But the hundreds of people walking to help find a cure for cancer agreed that it was an exhilarating way to help others.
Josh Harner, 15, was diagnosed with a brain tumor at age 7. He suffered from seizures constantly before he underwent surgery, removing the tumor. He has taken pills for eight years and, although his right ear is completely deaf, his optimistic outlook on life has not dimmed. He smiles as he talks about the relay.
"I like seeing all the people who survive," he said. "I come out here with my grandpa, a survivor from lung cancer." Josh has a message for any other young people who get cancer: "Don't be afraid to come back to school."
Vernon Lucas, 63, was hospitalized seven years ago when a routine kidney check-up turned into a diagnosis for prostate cancer. Given that daunting prospect, Lucas didn't give up, and persuaded himself not to think of the diagnosis as a "death sentence." He is clear of cancer now. He said a lot of people don't feel like fighting when they find out they have cancer. Although he goes through dialysis regularly, he has kept his happy go-lucky spirit. He said he was proud to be giving back to the community in events like the Relay for Life, and living his life to the fullest as a survivor of prostate cancer. He takes life as it is, adding, "I'm not going to worry about it. The more you worry, it doesn't help."
Brenda Boston, 53, has been free of cancer for 18 years after finding a cyst on the right side of her chest about 20 years ago. When it was evident that the cyst was breast cancer, she decided to have both breasts removed. The decision was radical at the time, and Boston's plastic surgeon had to persuade her general surgeon to go through the process. Boston said her family had a history with cancer, and although this particular cancer targets the breast, it could develop into brain cancer, lung cancer, skin cancer or other cancers.
Her sister, Sandra Boston, 52, who also battled breast cancer, had a much tougher time. The effects of her cancer treatment were so severe, "I should have died three times," she said. When she was diagnosed with cancer, she opted to have only one breast removed, and underwent radiation. She said the radiation destroyed her skin cells and left her with a five-inch hole where her breast had been. Doctors had to remove a muscle from her back to cover the hole.
Although she has to undergo surgery in September for more chest problems, she still goes on. At the relay, she urged others to fight cancer as hard as they can and added, "Remember that you can beat it."
After all her struggles, she was ecstatic to have recovered enough to be in the relay.
"There is life after cancer," she said, teary-eyed.