Marble Falls Relay for Life still running to battle cancer

Each flag represents a person in Burnet County who will be diagnosed with cancer in 2008. Though the next area event isn’t until the spring, many of the local Relay committees have already begun gearing up. Committee members also said that although Relay for Life comes only once a year, people still fight cancer every day. 

MARBLE FALLS — Though the annual Relay for Life event is eight months away, local committee members aren’t just sitting around waiting for the two-day event.

“We’re trying to get as many survivors as we can in the (Walkway of Lights) light-up parade on Nov. 21 as we can ,” said Shelly Gremillion, Marble Falls Relay chairwoman. “Even though the (Marble Falls) Relay is in June, we want to make sure people realize this is something that’s on our minds throughout the year.”

Relay for Life is one of the American Cancer Society’s largest fundraisers. During the year, communities host the 18-24 hour events. People form teams that raise money leading up to the actual event. During the Relay, the teams keep at least one person walking on a track. Typically, an individual walks (or runs) for 30 minutes before a team member relieves him or her — thus making it a relay.

Gremillion stepped into the chairwoman role after participating in her first Relay for Life last June. Prior to taking part in the Marble Falls event, she said she didn’t know much, if anything, about the fundraiser.

But as she took the final lap with her team and the rest of the teams, Gremillion was struck by the significance of the moment.

“That last lap was so meaningful,” she said. “Here we had everybody out there who had walked through the night making one more lap to help end cancer. I knew at that moment I wanted to get more involved.”

The Relay committee has already started organizing next year’s event. Gremillion said some of the planning simply  entails reminding people about what Relay for Life is and how they can get involved.

The Relay is considered a celebration of all the work the teams and volunteers have put into the fundraising, officials said.

But it’s also a time for the community to honor cancer survivors and remember those who lost the battle.

The walk itself symbolizes the journey cancer patients go through during treatment, Gremillion said.

“When you’re out there walking at 1 or 2 a.m. and you’re tired and you want to give up, in some ways that’s how a person fighting cancer might feel when they’re undergoing treatment,” she said. “But you don’t give up. You keep going because it will get better.”

Organizers said the walk is conducted night and day because cancer never sleeps.

“Even though the Relay is still so far off, we want people to start thinking about it,” Gremillion said. “Cancer doesn’t just stop after the last lap (during Relay). It’s something people have to deal with all year around.”

Though the official Relay for Life kickoff party is in January, Gremillion said people can already get involved.

“The more people we get helping out, the better,” she said. “We could always use more help and more teams.”

For more information, call (512) 426-3525 or e-mail shelly@laketimerealty.com.

daniel@thepicayune.com

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