Relay For Life Celebrates 25 Years In Elmhurst

ELMHURST, IL – Elmhurst resident and college sophomore cancer survivor Kati Potaczek will share her story and lead survivors and caregivers in the first lap of Relay For Life. Potaczek graduated in 2017 from York Community High School and shortly thereafter was diagnosed with IIA Hodgins lymphoma. She’s now a sophomore at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign.

“At first I was so upset,” she said in a release. “But I’m naturally an optimistic person, and I figured it was only going to suck more if I let it. I really believed I was going to be okay, and I wanted to be strong for my parents. But deep down inside, I felt so alone.”

The 25th annual Relay For Life in Elmhurst will start at 6 p.m. on Friday, June 1, at York Community High School. The Mary K Steffens Survivor/Caregiver Committee welcomes all local cancer survivors and caregivers to share food and fellowship in the Survivor/Caregiver area.

“Mary knew how hard the struggle was,” Norma Petersen, co-chair of the MKS Survivor/Caregiver Committee said in a release. “She loved Relay and bringing together survivors and their caregivers to support them in their cancer journey and to celebrate the possibilities.”

Mary Steffens passed away in 2008 from breast cancer after a courageous eight-year battle, according to a release. Since then family and friends have kept her spirit alive by sponsoring the Mary Steffens Survivor/Caregiver area at Relay for Life-Elmhurst.

The committee said everyone is invited to join in the fight against cancer through Relay for Life-Elmhurst.
There will be live music, food and craft vendors, and a luminaria ceremony at 8:30 p.m. The event is free to attend. All proceeds benefit cancer research as well as programs and services provided free of charge to cancer patients, including many in Elmhurst and surrounding towns.

If you or someone you know has survived cancer, they may contact the MKS Foundation via Facebook at bit.ly/MaryKSteffens to learn more about the Survivor/Caregiver experience. For more information on forming a Relay team, visit www.RelayForLife.org or call 1-800-227-2345.

Image via Shutterstock.