The weather report didn't look good and even a few teams double-checked that Relay was going to continue. Despite the threats of storms we pressed on and Relay began beautifully. The Opening Ceremony was touching and heart-warming. The silent lap was full of reflection and emotion. The walking began and so did the entertainment. The late night was starting to get to everyone, the perfect time to begin the Miss Relay Contest. Boys scurried through dresses and wigs, some showed up in full dress and just re-touched their make-up.
"For my talent, I'd like to sing a song," said one contestant in a high-pitched sing-song voice, twirling his mop wig.
Just as he opened with his girliest voice, the rain came. In a second it was more than a downpour. The committee rushed around trying to cover and move everything on stage while the participants huddled in the middle as the viewing teams gathered around them for cover. The big storm was here and the thunder and lightening demanded we moved everyone to the emergency shelter.
We did our best, with the great help from Alpha Phi Omega, to keep people entertained inside, even completing the pageant with those who withstood the storm. However, no matter how much we tried to plan, there was no cure for cabin fever. I peaked outside hoping to see the sky clear, but it was still raining. I noticed puddles splashing, not from raindrops, but from runners. A few dedicated champions raced through the rain. The storm could not hold them back and they were determined to keep running, just as cancer patients do. As I admired their commitment to the cause, a group of three girls asked if they could go walk, since it was their hour. We warned them that there was some flooding around the track but they responded, "No problem, we're not wearing shoes." They braved out into the last trickling of the storm barefoot. Our track is a horse track, a gravel road around a large field, filled with mud, puddles, and small pebbles, but they carried on.
Once the storm hit, a lot of campers had packed themselves into cars and went home. With most participants gone and those who remained understandably frustrated with the weather, I thought this storm had ruined Relay. But when I saw those dedicated few running and walking through the storm, I was in awe of the commitment and determination of those devoted few. Relay for Life is an overnight event because cancer never sleeps, but as I was reminded by a fellow committee member when discussing emergency weather plans, "Cancer never cancels." Our participants did not cancel and fought through the uncontrollable conditions. After two changes of wet clothes, no sleep, and a slight infection of cabin fever, I can truly say that this was the most inspiring Relay for Life I have ever attended. I cannot put into words the emotion I felt watching those runners race around the track. All I could think about was the wondrous metaphor they played out for cancer patients. Cancer never cancels, and no storm will stop the fight. We must press on, regardless of things we cannot control, we will go on, and we will win this battle against cancer.
