The American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life will be held from 10 a.m. next Saturday (July 9) through 10 a.m. next Sunday (July 10) at College of the Redwoods in Eureka. this is Humboldt County’s 20th annual Relay For Life event.

The opening ceremony starts at 10 a.m. Saturday, followed by the Colors of Hope Lap at 10:30 a.m. Survivor activities will begin at 6 p.m. that day. The Ceremony of Hope — featuring a performance by past “American Idol” contestant and cancer survivor Justin Williams — will start at dusk, around 8 p.m. The luminaria ceremony is set for 9:30 p.m. Saturday.

Bands — including The Roadmasters, St. John & The Sinners, The Trouble and Sour Cream — will be providing entertainment throughout the event.

The “Fight Back” closing ceremony will take place at 10 a.m. next Sunday (July 10).

About Relay

At Relay For Life events, which are held around the world, teams of people camp out at local schools, parks or fairgrounds and take turns walking or running around a track or path. according to the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life website — relayforlife. org — each team is asked to have a representative on the track at all times during the event. Because cancer never sleeps, Relays For Life are over-night events, up to 24 hours in length.

Relay began in 1985 when Dr. Gordy Klatt, a colorectal surgeon in Tacoma, Wash., ran and walked around a track for 24 hours to raise money for the American Cancer Society. Since then, Relay has grown from a single man’s passion to fight cancer into the world’s largest movement to end the disease, according to the American Cancer Society. Each year, more than 3.5 million people in 5,000 communities in the United States, along with communities in 20 other countries, gather to take part in this global phenomenon and raise much-needed funds and awareness to save lives from cancer.

For more information, to form a local Relay team or to make a donation to Relay For Life, visit relayforlife.org/eurekaca or contact event chair Dona Latham at 498-6646.

To date, 56 teams are signed up to participate in Eureka’s Relay For Life. Each person has their own reason for participating. Here — in their own words — a few of this year’s participants explain “Why I Relay.”

Why I Relay

Kim Counts of Eureka (Relay For Life committee member): 2005 and 2006 were the worst years of my life. My family did not have any history of cancer and I had never had to deal with it up close and personal until late March of 2005 when my oldest sister, Debbie, age 49, called to tell us she had been having lots of abdominal issues and finally went to the doctor. She was diagnosed with colon cancer and was scheduled for surgery on April 6.

She was admitted to the hospital that day, but it was too late. Before they could take her into surgery, she slipped into a coma and died in the early morning hours of April 7, 2005. It was just 10 days after her first grandchild had been born.

I was living in Colorado at that time and Debbie had lived in Portland. I flew home to Eureka via Portland to be with my family. I was able to have a long enough layover in Portland to attend her memorial service there, and then we held one for the rest of our family in Eureka.

The day I returned to Colorado, I received a call from my parents. they said my other sister, Tammy, had fainted in the shower and was having other serious symptoms. when she was taken to the hospital, they initially diagnosed her with leukemia, but sent her to Stanford for further testing. there, they made a final diagnosis of multiple myeloma. She went through radiation and chemo, maintained an extremely positive attitude, trying to comfort those closest to her instead of feeling sorry for herself. That was typical of her.

Sometime in October she became paralyzed from the waist down. The doctors said she had a tumor on her spine that was causing the paralyzation. Then on Thanksgiving Day, my parents called again saying Tammy was really bad and there wasn’t much time left. I flew back to Eureka the next day and spent the following week or so with her and held her hand when she died on Dec. 1, 2005. She was only 44 and left behind her four daughters ages 18, 16, 12 and 10. She died the day after her second daughter turned 16 at 2:15 a.m. I truly believe with all my heart that she waited as long as she could so she wouldn’t die on her daughter’s birthday.

After spending another week or so in Eureka, I again flew back to Colorado. My mom had been fighting lung cancer for about 18 months, having smoked for 54 years. after I had been back in Colorado for just 10 days, my dad called once again. Mom was in her last days. I think she just gave up after Debbie and Tammy died and the cancer took over. I came back to Eureka yet again and stayed with Mom while she was in her last days. She died Jan. 4, 2006. She was 68 years old. The day before she died, we were in her bedroom with her and looked out the window. two deer were outside, looking toward the window. We believe somehow it was Debbie and Tammy telling Mom they were there to take her to heaven with them.

So as you can see, I have three very important reasons why I Relay. well, actually I have more than that. I Relay for Mom, Debbie, Tammy, my daughter and sons, my husband, my nieces and nephews, my brothers, my cousins, my aunts and uncles and anyone else affected by cancer. I guess that’s just about everyone in the world.

Crystal Daignault, 26, of Rio Dell (Survivor): June 2011 (marked) a year since my journey started. I went into the doctor to discuss what I thought was exhaustion from depression. after a blood panel, they found that I was severely anemic. Months went by of them shoving iron pills down my throat, and blood test after blood test. My mother finally got involved and they sent me to a hematologist. It was the end of September when they sent me to St. Joseph Hospital for a blood transfusion, then 10 IV iron infusions the weeks to follow. During that time, I was to get an ultrasound done. The results of that test changed my life in a matter of seconds.

A large mass was found on my right kidney. Another scan was needed to determine if it was just a cyst or a tumor. in October, it was confirmed to be a tumor about the size of a tennis ball. By November, after more scans and two biopsies and one very painful bone marrow biopsy, it was determined to be malignant. Unfortunately, after all that poking, they still were not able to identify what type of cancer.

In December, I went into surgery at Stanford University. As I was under for six hours they performed a radical right nephrectomy, removing my kidney, the 9.5 cm tumor, multiple lymph nodes and my adrenal gland. in mid-December, they diagnosed the tumor as a rare form of kidney cancer called collecting duct carcinoma. It was at a Stage 3 since it had spread outside of the tumor. this type of cancer responds to some chemotherapies, so I started (at) the beginning of January.

Months of pain, exhaustion and horrified concerns welled in my every thought. I slowly started to lose my hair and felt less and less of a person. I found peace in the kind words at my doctor’s office. I found hope in my support group. I was blessed to find a support group at the American Cancer Society; the meetings helped me to feel not so alone. I was thrilled to be asked to be a part of their Relay For Life team — an all-survivor team!

I have now had three scans come back clear and was ecstatic to be able to celebrate my 26th birthday this last March. I celebrated with my family, friends and my wonderful support group, which happened to meet on my birthday this year.

This journey has taught me so much about love, compassion and hope for a brighter and better future — a future without someone else having to take this journey, for better journeys. I Relay to share that love and share that hope. I Relay to give back to those who have given to me another chance to not just exist, but to truly live. I Relay because the money raised not only goes to research, but also to help with services like support groups, wigs and hats, and funds to help (people) travel to their doctors appointments far away. I Relay because I will grow old with my loved ones and I will fight until my body cannot fight anymore.

Gene Whitten of Hydesville (Survivor): I’ve lost several people to cancer during my life: a good friend in 1985, my mother in 1986, my wife’s father in 2000 and her son in 2003.

When my wife’s son was being treated, the American Cancer Society provided lots of help. they had support group meetings, got hotel rooms in San Francisco at no charge for my wife and her son and helped pay for gas costs to go there.

A few weeks after her son passed away, I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. I attended both ACS support groups. they provided literature for me that helped me make decisions about my treatment and again helped with costs for transportation for a second opinion in San Francisco.

Since my treatment ended, my wife has lost several other relatives to cancer. I Relay to get donations so that ACS can continue to provide the services they have for cancer patients and their families.

I’m a member of the (Relay For Life) Cancer Support Group, Team 12, which is made up entirely of cancer survivors. I know that there is hope and help for newly diagnosed cancer patients, thanks to ACS.

Bucky and Kathy Steele of Eureka (Survivors): all of us are touched in a very personal way by cancer. whether it is a friend, family members, neighbor, co-worker or acquaintance, we all know someone who is or has been affected by this disease. It is not only the medical and financial aspects, but also the psychological and emotional effects of a diagnosis, treatment and survivorship.

Bucky is a three-time survivor of colon cancer. his maternal grandfather passed away from colon cancer. of his immediate family, his mother, a sister and a niece are also survivors of colon cancer. Due to recent testing, it was found there is a genetic mutation that runs through his family, and we hope that this testing will help arm family members with the knowledge to get screened early and perhaps a cure will be found soon.

Kathy is a two-time survivor of breast cancer, which has metastasized to the bone. Like so many other diagnoses, there is no cure at this time, but symptoms are made more manageable through medications, radiation, diet and support from family and friends. a family saying which has helped put things into perspective for Kathy during this journey is, “from the time you’re born till you ride in a hearse, nothing’s ever so bad that it couldn’t be worse.”

We Relay to honor and remember those who have passed, support those who are battling cancer and celebrate those who are survivors. We Relay to help raise funds to support research, education, advocacy and patient services to find a cure to cancer so that others will not have to go through what our family and many others have gone through.

Fighting cancer is a team effort. The strength of people coming together for a common cause is greater than the strength of one.

Bill Lemley of Eureka (Survivor and member of Relay For Life Team 12): Why has the Relay For Life continued for the past (20) years? That’s exactly why I Relay. It raises funds for the American Cancer Society to aid cancer patients and to sponsor continued research into early diagnosis and better treatment of a disease that was once considered a death sentence. It also involves hundreds of people in a common cause. Moreover, by including hundreds of survivors like me, it brings widespread recognition to the simple fact that there is life after cancer.

Habitual doubters have suggested that support for the ACS is a waste of money, saying, “People still get cancer.” they should look again. People are still diagnosed with cancer because better diagnosis now detects trouble earlier. And more people are surviving cancer than ever before. (In my case, 30 years and counting.)

I also Relay in support of new studies at Johns Hopkins and elsewhere that explore specific approaches to preventing cancer. The results are less dramatic and harder to document, but these measures look like the way to go.

so, you’ll find me on the track again this year. just look for the alligator hat