Being a cancer survivor can give a person a brand new perspective — the grass is greener and the sky is bluer.
It certainly changed life for Orillia’s Nikki Holmes.
“You take your life for granted until you receive that diagnosis,” said the support staffer at Mundell Funeral Home, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in December 2016.
Holmes says her doctor gave her two years to live, but with treatment she’s made it past that mark and is going strong.
“I like to think of myself as a thriver,” she said. “I know without the (Canadian) Cancer Society I wouldn’t be here. Their support was amazing. I was treated like royalty at RVH (Royal Victoria Hospital). They’re wonderful staff.”
She said it’s important to stay positive to survive.
“The cancer is in your body, but it’s important to keep healthy in your head,” she said.
Holmes was part of a 15-member strong team, and raised close to $2,000, and came together for a party with a purpose with more than 200 people who participated in this year’s Barrie/Orillia Relay for Life held Friday night at Chappell Farms in Oro-Medonte Township.
The event went from 6 p.m. until midnight Friday.
“It’s about how the community (comes) together for a common cause to ensure no one faces cancer alone,” said Brenda MacGregor, senior manager, Simcoe-Muskoka Community Office, Canadian Cancer Society.
The Orillia and Barrie events were combined last year due to a drop in attendance at the independent ventures, she noted. “That’s why we merged the two at a central location at Chappell Farms.”
Funds raised from the event are funnelled through the Canadian Cancer Society to local chapters to support programs, such as the transportation program to take cancer patients to and from appointments, and the telephone support program to help people in the Simcoe-Muskoka region living with cancer, said MacGregor.
Last year, the event raised a little more than $50,000 and this year she said they hoped to raise the same amount.
The event welcomes families to celebrate survivors by coming out to periodically walk around the track and enjoy other activities throughout the night. At the end of night, near midnight, a bagpiper leads participants onto the track for a luminary ceremonial lap, she said.
The luminaries are lit in memory of those who lost the fight to cancer and are no longer with their friends and family, explained MacGregor.
But for those whose loved ones were still fighting the battle against cancer, it was important to be at the relay event to show support.
Charlotte Van Am was diagnosed with brain cancer last year. The 21-year-old said it was a scary time and those were terrible days.
“It’s a crappy thing to go through,” said the Orillia resident, who is currently receiving treatment. “But everyone has been awesome. And it’s nice to see other survivors and supporters out here.”
Supporting everyone who is faced with cancer in some form is a good way of giving back, said John Zaba. The Barrie resident was participating in the event for the fifth year.
“I got involved through my church, Mapleview Community Church,” he said. “My mother and mother-in-law died of cancer.”
And even though it’s a serious deal being diagnosed with cancer, said Zaba, the event is more about joining in support with survivors and thrivers.
“Funerals are also celebrations of life now,” he said. “And this is a celebration of survival. The atmosphere helps with positive mental health.”
The money raised by the walk also supports clinical trials and applies the results to patients seeking treatment at 80 hospitals and cancer centres across the country, this includes the RVH in Barrie.
For more information, visit relayforlife.ca.
