Relay for Life is important event
Cancer can strike anyone, anytime and at any age. That is why events such as today’s Relay for Life are important not only for the money they generate, but the awareness they create for people to take steps to avoid cancer and seek early detection and treatment.
The 15th Relay for Life in Porterville kicks off at 8:30 this morning at Summit Charter Collegiate Academy, 15550 Redwood Court. Hundreds of participants will take part and a highlight of every Relay event is the moving Luminaria Ceremony just after sunset that honors survivors and victims of cancer. There will also be the Memorial Lap in memory of loved ones who has succumbed to cancer and the Survivor Walk, for those who are survivors.
As stories in this newspaper have detailed, cancer is a disease with no biases. It can strike young and old, male and female and all ethnicities are vulnerable. While much progress has been made to treat cancer, the key to any success is still early detection. Cancer is still one of the top five leading causes of death.
The Recorder recently profiled a 2009 graduate of Monache High School, Casey Clem, who has been diagnosed with lymphoblastic lymphoma, a very rare form of cancer. Hardly does one think of a teenager with cancer, but it happens. Today, we profiled an even younger person, Imelda Suarez, another young victim of cancer. Fortunately, both are in remission and doing much better today.
There will be scores of pamphlets and fliers available today and Sunday giving people advice on how to better detect symptoms of cancer, how to eat healthier and how to stop smoking, still one of the leading causes of cancer.
Porterville is fortunate to have the Roger S. Good Cancer Treatment Center and you will find today’s Relay is strongly supported by the hospital and the cancer center.
To us, education is the key to battling cancer. The more healthy lifestyle we follow and the more we do to be aware of our bodies, the better chance we have against any diseases.
Take advantage of today’s event, not just to support the American Cancer Society, but to learn more about cancer and more importantly, what you can do to live healthier.
