There’s always a light at the end of the tunnel and without God, they can’t get through it. They have got to have the inspiration. There’s always hope. If they have their last breath, there is hope that they can make it.”Brenda Glover
CULLMAN – This year’s Relay For Life was held on Friday, May 6 at the Cullman County Fairgrounds. People from all over Cullman County came together as a group to honor all the local cancer survivors and to remember those lost. It was a very special day for those who have been affected by cancer.
The festivities began at 4:30 p.m. when the band Steel took the stage and entertained the crowd. They continued to play as the survivors ate dinner together as a group. The opening ceremonies began at 6 p.m. with the Color Guard, National Anthem and invocation followed by special speaker, Navy Lieutenant Mickey Williams, who lost his left leg to cancer.
“Myself, like thousands if not millions of other patients and caregivers have benefitted from the direct generosity of people gathered here today,” said Williams. “The love and generosity is overwhelming at times. The love and generosity between complete strangers who choose to fight back against this terrible disease. I am the beneficiary of endless efforts, love and generosity and I have an expansive family out there who have come together to fight this battle. Many of the drugs and therapies I myself have received and benefitted from are directly related to the funding and research that came about through Relay For Life.”
Brad Talley and the local chapter of the Boozefighters Motorcycle Club made a special appearance during the opening ceremonies. The group recognized the American Cancer Society members who have worked with the organization for 20 years or more. Afterwards, Talley presented them with a check for $18,000 to go to the ACS.
After the survivors walked across the stage announcing their names and the number of years they have been cancer-free, they gathered behind the tower of hope and got ready to make their survivor lap around the walking trail. But before they began their walk, the Booze Fighters made rounds on their motorcycles. Myrna Hermetz, 53 years a cancer survivor, then led the group around the track, waving and smiling from her “chariot,” a golf cart.
“This means a lot to me; I have been cancer-free for six years,” said Brenda Glover. “I have two sisters that have had cancer and they are both cancer-free now too. I thought it would be good to bring my daughter Kaitlin (who is 9 years old) with me tonight so she can experience what people have been through and see what they are going through. It means a whole lot to us.
“For those people, who are just being diagnosed with cancer, never give up hope,” Glover smiled. “There’s always a light at the end of the tunnel and without God, they can’t get through it. They have got to have the inspiration. There’s always hope. If they have their last breath, there is hope that they can make it. It is a very hard thing to go through, and I would do anything I could to help them. There is always hope.”
After dark, luminarias, paper bags containing votive candles, were scattered throughout the fairgrounds. Each was personalized with a name, photo, message or drawing in memory of or in honor of a friend or loved one affected by cancer.
Later into the evening, there were fun and games for everyone. The Wallace State Singers put on a show and there was a T-shirt contest afterwards. The crowd enjoyed the bra and boxer short competitions and the womanless beauty pageant. There was even a Relay Idol Contest, which was a spoof; people did skits, sang songs, etc. It was a blast!
In closing, the Fight Back Ceremony featured Fight Back speaker Gary Cornelius. He spoke words of encouragement and hope and the crowd responded with a burst of cheers and applause. It was a wonderful way to end the day!
This year there were were 49 teams with 310 participants. Together they raised $113,222.78 for the ACS. What a difference Cullman County has made in the fight against cancer!
Relay For Life of Cullman County is a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society and is open to the community. Any groups or individuals are welcome to form a team and raise funds for ACS. The funds are used for research, support services, education and advocacy.
Find more information at www.relayforlife.org/cullmanal.
See the full photo gallery at http://qrne.ws/rfl.
