A Celebration for Survivors

It was a cool rainy Saturday in Moorpark, but that didn’t seem to dampen the spirits of those who gathered in front of to take part in a special ice cream social hosted by the Moorpark Relay for Life.

The event was intended to celebrate those fighting cancer, cancer survivors and their caregivers.

It also served to help publicize the relay and jumpstart the Relay’s fundraising and team gathering. According to event co-chair Doug Ridley, the Relay's goal is to raise $140,000, recognize 120 cancer survivors, and gather 65 teams.

A Relay is a group gathering to help support and remember cancer patients. The Relay for Life helps fund the American Cancer Society’s patient services, lifesaving research, and advocacy and education programs. At Relay events, teams of people camp out at a local high school, park, or fairground and take turns walking or running around a track or path.

For many, reasons for participating in the relay are personal. Ridley, for instance, became more involved last year after losing a loved one.

“For a few years I’ve been involved with the opening and closing ceremonies,” he said. “About the same time as last year’s closing ceremonies, my godmother, Suzi Smith from Oberlin, OH, passed away from cancer. When I was asked to be the chair this year, it helped me to focus a lot of my stress and grief toward something productive.”

Kam Holland, this year’s Relay for Life survivor chairperson, knows what it’s like to make it. Eight years ago she beat breast cancer.

“One of the reasons why I got started with Relay for Life was to support the survivors who have fought the fight as well as celebrating those who I have lost to cancer,” she said.

As for her own involvement with the Relay, she thoroughly enjoys the celebration.

“Probably one of the biggest rewards for me,” said Holland, “is making it a special day for the survivors.”

The Relay and its related events are definitely a family event. Moorpark resident Christine Reinhardt brought her kids, 18-year-old daughter Taylor and 13-year-old son Evan, to help set up the gathering.

“I got started when my girlfriend invited me and the following year she died from cancer,” said Reinhardt. “So, it’s more personal now. I have one grandma who has lost a lung and the other died of ovarian cancer. But there are a lot of survivors, so we celebrate the survivors and remember the ones we lost.”

Sweet Retreat owner Jeff Wong was invited by his customers to participate. He plans on setting up a vendor booth during the Relay and donating part of his revenue.

“We had Moorpark chamber customers who asked us to get involved with Relay for Life,” said Wong. “We’ll be there in May for the actual Relay for Life, serving shaved ice and donating a third of our revenues back to the organization.”

According to ACS staff member Daniela Barragan, there are more than 500 Relays across the state and 5,000 across the country.

“This is a volunteer-driven event,” said Barragan. “It’s an event to celebrate cancer survivors, remember those we lost, and to fight back against the disease.”

For local cancer patients, the Relay helps fund programs like Road to Recovery, which offers free rides to cancer treatment; connect cancer patients to other survivors and provide peer support groups like I Can Cope.

During Moorpark’s upcoming Relay for Life, cancer survivors can come and receive a variety of free services including massages, exercise workouts, prosthetic fittings and expert advice on make up, nutrition and wigs.

The event is scheduled to take place from 10 a.m. May 5 to 10 a.m. May 6 at Moorpark High School.

Anyone interested in signing up or sponsoring a team for the Relay can go to www.Relayforlife.org/Moorparkca. For questions regarding the event, e-mail Ridley or fellow co-chair Brian Angel at doug@ridleylegal.org or brian@ifindable.com.