Relay For Life hits home for all of us
By Lauren Parker-Gill, News Editor, The Times
DOWNINGTOWN — It’s pretty safe to say that most people have been touched by cancer, in some capacity, in their life whether it’s through a family member, spouse or friend.
My mother in law was diagnosed with breast cancer in the fall of 1996 and over the course of two short years it spread throughout her body. She died in February of 1999, less then a year before I married her youngest son. She never saw him graduate from college, she was not at our wedding…she never met her three grandsons or her granddaughter (our niece). She has missed so many things in all of our lives and even now, 17 years later, I wonder what it would be like if she was still here.
When I heard from local photographer Justine Newman that Relay for Life was coming up, I knew in an instant that I wanted to be there to cover it for The Times. I expected it to be a moving event but to be honest I wasn’t prepared for the magnitude.
Starting at 9 p.m. relay teams walked by candlelight, with each luminary honor 1 person and their fight against cancer. Credit: Justine Newman Photography.
I arrived at Downingtown West High School and from the parking lot, I could hear music from a DJ and I could see people walking the track in the rain. Over 60 teams camped out and took turns on the track for 24 hours, from 10 a.m. Saturday until 10 a.m. Sunday, showing their commitment to fighting against every kind of cancer – even the most rare forms.
Just before 6 p.m., the rain picked up in intensity and a last-minute decision was made to host the survivor celebration inside the reception tent, where the survivor’s dinner was also to be held. The change was seamless and the ceremony was perfect. Following speeches from honorary survivors and feature speaker Dr. David Teachey from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, each survivor was called by name to receive a survivor pin.
The Relay for Life event leadership team pulled off another successful event in the fight against cancer, raising over $106,000. Credit: Justine Newman Photography.
The rain slowed down just in time for the survivor/caregiver lap – survivors went one way around the track, caregivers went the other way and met in the middle. Together they completed the lap.
It was during the survivor/caregiver lap that I happened to meet Kim Mehler of Coatesville. Kim is fighting cancer for the third time in four years. She was first diagnosed with colon cancer at 38 years old when her sons were just 5 and 2 years old. Following intensive treatments with chemotherapy and despite careful monitoring, it reoccurred 14 months later as stage 3.
“I have too much to fight for,” said Kim Mehler, who is battling cancer, with her husband Rob and sons William and Samuel. Photo: Melissa Shelton.
After fighting the reoccurrence with intensive radiation and chemo and showing no evidence of disease for 18 months, Kim had just returned from a family vacation to Disney World with her husband Rob and 2 sons William and Samuel, now 9 and 6. She noticed some swelling in her face and believed it was a sinus infection. Upon visiting her doctor, Dr. Lalitha Trivikram at Christine Meyer’s practice in Exton, she was diagnosed with Superior Vena Cava Syndrome (SVCS), which is caused by the narrowing or blockage of the superior vena cava – it is the second largest vein in the human body and is responsible for carrying blood from the head, neck, upper chest and arms to the heart. In most cases, SVCS is caused by cancer.
Kim was immediately sent to Paoli hospital, where it was discovered that the cancer is now in her lung and brain and is stage 4. She is currently undergoing radiation treatments and preparing for CyberKnife therapy for her brain, which is amazingly minimally invasive, with little recovery time, Kim will again begin chemo in July.
The word HOPE was spelled out in luminaries that were each in honor of or in memory of a person and their fight against cancer. Credit: Justine Newman Photography.
Despite all of this, Kim told me she going to keep fighting, “I have too much to live for – my husband and my kids.” To say I was and still am inspired by her determination and spirit is an understatement.
Following the survivor/caregiver ceremony and reception was the luminaria ceremony at 9 p.m. Lining the entire track were white bags, filled with sand and candles (protected from the rain in Ziploc bags). Each bag was in honor of or in memory of a person with cancer. The luminaries were available for purchase until the ceremony – I even bought one in memory of my mother in law – when the time came, they were all lit and team members walked by candlelight and music from the Great Valley Chamber Choir and the Emerald Society Bagpipers.
The next morning the sun was finally shining for the closing ceremonies and final lap. According to Dawn Kirsh, event leadership chair for Relay for Life, the event would not have been possible without their team of volunteers, corporate sponsors, and in-kind sponsors. To date, the event has raised over $106,000 so far and donations will be accepted until August, when plans for next year’s event will begin.
“Our team captains, participants, survivors and caregivers mean the world to us…we love seeing them every year,” Dawn said in an email. “They are why we work so hard every year to put on this incredible event. We are making a difference and we will finish the fight against cancer!”
Editor’s Note: Relay For Life events are occurring throughout the area in the coming weeks. The Unionville-Kennett event takes place June 3 at Unionville High School and the Great Valley Relay for Life event takes place June 4. For more details on events in your area, see The Relay For Life website
