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| Helping to make cancer history |
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| A sea of yellow shirts crowded the civic track as hundreds gathered to partake in the survivors lap, which is part of the 2009 Durham Region Relay for Life. |
By Lindsey Cole The Oshawa Express The bright pink feather boas against their black shirts stand out in a crowd. Their shirts read, “Laps for Liz.” Each team member is running for a lost loved one. This year, it’s Mary Strang’s turn. She just lost her sister to lung cancer. And now she is fighting back against a disease that claims the lives of too many.“Every time we see one person on this track, we know there are survivors,” she says.“It’s a great thing. It means for one loss, we will save so much more.” This is her sixth time in the Durham Region Relay For Life, and each year, she says, it gets better. Her team was one of many that stood out among hundreds of tents gathered around the track at the Civic Auditorium recently. Then there’s the Ladybugs, California Dreamin’, La Famila Mafia, and Wayne’s Bass Fishing Buddies – to name a few. All of them marched along during the team parade, hoping in some way to fight back against cancer. Each team at the relay helped to raise more than $500,000 for the cause, rivalling last year’s total of $530,000. This year marks the 9th Relay for Life in the region. All proceeds go towards cancer research as well as prevention strategies. For Dawn Smith, the survivor lap was particularly important. It kicked off the night. Her son, Kyle, just seven years old, is a survivor. He beat leukemia. His mother looks at him after he walked the survivor lap and says, “That means you’re a survivor right?” Kyle looks at her brightly and says with a huge smile, “I survived cancer.” He is an inspiration to many. |
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©2009 Dowellman Publishing Corp, All Rights Reserved
©2009 Dowellman Publishing Corp, All Rights Reserved
