Relay for Life Burnsville

Relay for Life Burnsville, August 1st and 2nd 2008.

Burnsville's Relay for Life was the first event of this type that I've attended. It was a modest event--maybe only 200 people. That was a shame because the quality of the speakers was excellent. Burnsville's mayor, Elizabeth Kautz along with State Representative Will Morgan and U of M cancer researcher Dr. Rober Secik covered topics that were thought provoking, inspiring and funny. Jill Holly, singer, song writer, performer and breast cancer survivor introduced the speakers and set a wonderful tone for the evening. The original poem that she read to start off the evening was perfect. I hope that she publishes it soon so that it can appear in blogs like mine.

Each speaker encouraged participants to have fun as they completed the laps throughout the night. There was food, music and an auction going on so there were plenty of opportunities for enjoying yourself. But there was also a nice balance of reality. Two parts of the evening reminded all of us of why we were there--the Survivors Lap and the lighting of the luminarias.
The Survivors' Lap was a powerful way to show that together we can fund the brilliant minds that will find a cure for breast cancer. It showed us that there is always reason to hope. Watching each person make that lap and knowing that in their not too distant past they were undergoing cancer treatments was sobering to me. I thought about how much each one of those lives had changed as a result of their cancer diagnosis and how happy and triumphant they looked walking together that night.

Lighting the luminarias that lined the track was a beautiful way of remembering and honoring the people who have died--they are why we are so determined to find a cure.
Looking at the bags decorated in a variety of ways, all with the name of someone sorely missed was a sweet and very sad experience.

I wish that more people from the Burnsville community had been there--unfortunately until there is a cure--there's always next year.