Luminaries dedicated to loved ones will light up the Creighton ball diamond Saturday evening as locals walk a track in a night-long vigil to raise funds, awareness and the spirits of those who are faced with a cancer diagnosis.
The walkers will be participants in the Relay for Life, a Canadian Cancer Society fundraiser held in communities across the country.
“We relay overnight to signify the journey that a cancer patient goes through from diagnosis through to either recovery and or death,” explains Margot Gray, chair of the Flin Flon and Area Relay for Life Committee and a 30-year cancer survivor.
This is the third time the Relay for Life has taken place in Flin Flon, as it was first held in 2011 and again in 2013.
“Cancer doesn’t sleep,” says Shelly Etienne, chair of the survivor committee for Flin Flon’s relay. “So neither do we, for that night.”
Sixteen teams and 197 participants have registered for Saturday’s relay so far, though Gray notes that individuals and teams can join right up to the start of the event.
Over the past two years, teams have held fundraising events and collected pledges to meet their collective goal of $89,200 as a community for the Canadian Cancer Society.
Gray calculated that the teams had fundraised close to $70,000 as of yesterday morning, with more funds rolling in through the weekend from pledges and sales of luminaries to relay attendees.
Local music group The Cancer Crooners will kick off the Relay for Life at 5:30 Saturday evening, followed by the opening ceremonies at 6 pm, with a slideshow honouring local cancer survivors and those who have passed.
The first lap of the relay is called a victory lap, in which all cancer survivors are invited to walk the track.
In the second lap, survivors choose a caregiver to walk with them, recognizing the key role caregivers play in the cancer fight.
The full relay teams join in on the third lap, and keep going until dawn.
Cancer survivors who would like to take part in the victory lap and other special programming can register online or contact Etienne at 204-687-6646.
As darkness sets on Saturday, the luminaries will be lit in a ceremony of remembrance. The luminaries are both symbolic of the need for hope in the battle against cancer, and an opportunity to honour those who have fought, or are still fighting that battle.
The radiance from the candles inside will brighten the field, and motivate the walkers to keep going. The walkers will continue their vigil through the night, with one member of each team on the track at all times.
Although the purpose of the event is serious, the relay night will have many joyful moments, says Gray.
Teams often dress up in themed costumes, and the committee has organized activities and live entertainment for visitors, volunteers and participants, from a Zumba session to a dunk tank and group games such as Trivial Pursuit.
“It’s a jam-packed evening,” says Gray. “It’s not just trudging around the track for 12 hours…it’s a celebration.”
So what does it feel like to still be walking around that track in the darkness at four in the morning? It’s tough, say Gray and Etienne, and that’s the point.
“That is the drudge of what cancer patients go through, the depths of the despair,” Gray explains.
To help the participants keep up their spirits, the committee keeps the activity level up with organized workouts, stretching sessions, music and a rousing “fight-back” ceremony.
The event will wrap up with a well-earned pancake breakfast for participants and volunteers.
“Some people don’t sleep night after night, and their families don’t sleep night after night,” Etienne adds, noting that the symbolism of the relay can be powerful for the countless people whose lives have been marked by cancer.
Etienne speaks from experience: she has been cancer-free for 10 years. During the survivor lap in the last relay, Etienne walked with her nephew, Chris Power, who was diagnosed with leukemia as a teen.
“We almost lost him,” she recalls, her voice full of emotion. Today, Power is 35 with two young children.
“It is empowering,” Etienne says of the walk and the survivor laps. “It’s emotional, and it is a victory. We’re still here.”
Gray recalls how when she was diagnosed, she kept her illness private from her family and friends, as she didn’t want them to worry.
Today the chance of surviving cancer is much greater than it was 30 years ago. The stigma of the “c word” is somewhat reduced, Gray remarks, thanks in large part to organizations such as the Canadian Cancer Society, which funds research, advocacy and awareneness.
“When we started as a charity, only one of four Canadians survived cancer,” says Tamara Boyko, fundraising coordinator for the Manitoba division of the Canadian Cancer Society. “Today the survival rate is 63 per cent. Among children with cancer, that number is 82 per cent.”
“I think it’s important that people know it’s not a death sentence,” adds Gray. “There are lots of us survivors out there.”
To donate or register for the Flin Flon-Creighton Relay for Life, visit
relayforlife.ca.
