Each year, the American Cancer Society organizes a fund raising and awareness event called Relay For Life. This "relay" is a joint gathering of many different local organizations (teams) that help promote awareness for cancer and cancer research. This past weekend was the annual Relay For Life held at South Torrance High School with over 60 teams participating. As exciting as it is to see such an event come together with so many people, it is all too real when reality sets in that there are so many people affected by cancer. Each person is in one way or another impacted by the often-deadly disease; either they themselves are battling the disease, or it is a family member, relative, friend, co-worker, or someone they know through another person.
At the "half-way" mark, all participants gather together for a moment of silence to honor all of those victims and survivors of cancer. In memory of those, the participants light a luminaria in their honor and all join together. Here are a few pictures from the evening of the event, during the luminaria ceremony.
About Relay For Life:
Teams of people camp out at a local high school, park, or fairground and take turns walking or running around a track or path. Each team is asked to have a representative on the track at all times during the event. Relays are 24 hours in length; representing the reality that cancer never sleeps. By participating, you honor cancer survivors, pay tribute to the lives we've lost to the disease, and raise money to help fight cancer in your community. Relay began in 1985 when Dr. Gordy Klatt, a colorectal surgeon in Tacoma, Washington, 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.
