Relay for Life speech

Here is the speech I gave at the Opening Ceremony during our 2008 Relay for Life. I have edited it a bit....

I began to Relay because of my mom. She was diagnosed with multiple myeloma at age 53. She died just after she turned 55. Her story changed how I looked at cancer, what I knew about people with cancer.

I continued to Relay because of the stories I heard. Stories of winning, stories of loss, stories of need, stories of caregivers, stories of compassion.

Now I have added my own story and I Relay because my life depends on it.

I was diagnosed in December 2004 with stage IIIB/IV lung cancer. Next week I will have chemo infusion #52.

I have tried to update the story of lung cancer, to make it more hopeful and more visible. The bracelet for lung cancer is white or clear…the invisible cancer.

When I was thinking about this opportunity to talk to you and was thinking about our stories, it made me realize that I miss being bald! Ok, not all the time, and not just when I am having a hot flash! When I was bald during my first protocol, I loved that people came up to offer a hug and their story. It was so important for them to share and show their solidarity.

I learned a lot from my mom. I have learned a lot from these stories and I have learned a lot about myself and what I believe.

What I believe.
I believe in my oncologist, the researchers, the chemo nurses, the drugs.
I believe in positive attitude.
I believe in the need to remember the person, their spirit…not just the disease.
I believe in family and friends.
I believe in the power of a committed group-whether it be positive energy, the power of prayer, or making something happen.
I believe in HOPE.

Because of these beliefs and what Relay for Life is doing, I know we can help change the cancer story—with money, education, awareness, research and hope. By being here, we are making cancer visible-bringing it out into the light, so that we can see it, so that we can talk about it, so that we can end it.

By being here we are helping to fight for good care and to make the person sitting in the paper gown visible and heard…to be sure the health care providers remember that there is a real person sitting in front of them.

We Relay because we know that the only way we can eliminate cancer, all cancers, from our world is to tell the stories. If we educate and make people aware, they will find compassion, there will be dollars, we will have a cure.

We all have our own stories. Every purple shirt is a story. Every luminaria is a story. Every tent site is a story. Go hear them, go share them. It is why we are here.