Locals Serve at Relay for Life

Cancer survivors, caregivers, and family members affected by cancer met for Relay for Life Friday at 7 p.m. at LeGrand Stadium. Relay for Life is a nationwide event run by American Cancer Society to raise awareness for cancer and funds for cancer research. Max Parker, cancer survivor and lawyer at Webb, Stokes, and Sparks, opened the events of the evening with a testimonial.

“I had six weeks weeks of very intense treatments, seven chemo treatments, and 35 radiation treatments,” Parker said. “With God’s grace, great caretakers, and great medical care, I’m now cancer-free and hopefully will stay cancer-free.”

Relay for Life of Tom Green County cooperates with American Cancer Society in order to make Relay for Life in San Angelo possible. According to Kimberly Adams, the event chair on the committee, members of the committee began planning in June 2014 ifor tonight’s event.

“Relay for Life is an opportunity for those affected by cancer to know that they’re not alone, and it’s an opportunity for them to know that someone out there is fighting for them,” Adams said.

Events at the relay last until 7 a.m. Saturday, 12 hours of activities. Aside from jogging laps, those attending the event are treated to many refreshments and entertainment. Mark Webster, training manager at Goodfellow Air Force Base, provides attendees with lemonade.

“Three years ago, my boss came down with stage four lung cancer,” Webster said, handing out lemonade in his caregiver t-shirt. “His name was Lt. Col. Andy ‘Dixie’ Cupp. In fact, he was keynote speaker here a couple years ago [in 2012]. Good friend of mine.”

Webster explained how he “threw myself into that role [as caregiver]” by assisting Cupp with treatments and therapy.

“I just felt like it was my duty to give him as many quality days as I could,” Webster said.

Adams said that Tom Green County’s Relay for Life in has raised over $3.1 million in 20 years.

“I’m always amazed by how many people are out here in purple survivor shirts,” Adams said. “The number grows every year.”

Parker emphasized that people are participating in Relay for Life to raise money to research a cure for cancer. He said that participants in the event can save lives and that cancer treatments have come far over the years.

“If this organization hadn’t been around, all of the gains that have been made in cancer treatment wouldn’t have happened and I very well would not be a survivor,” Parker said. “But there is a lot of work to do, and there’s still many, many people that are getting cancer. We need to do more to try to stop cancer from ever happening, not just treat it, and we’ve got a lot of work to do there."

Adam’s father is an 11 year survivor of prostate and bladder cancer. She said that cancer has “really affected my family,” including extended family members with breast cancer.

“I relay so that if my seven year old ever hears the words ‘you have cancer’ he also hears ‘and here’s the cure,’” Adams said.