Capturing the Sights and Sounds of Hope

As a journalist, there are some stories that come harder than others. Most of the ones that are hard, yet extremely important to do, are those that are very personal. While I’ve been involved with Relay for Life since I was a young girl, this was my second year covering and attending the Watertown-Waltham Relay for Life. It was just a bit different for me returning this year. Now, in some form or another, we’ve all been affected by cancer. I’ve experienced the heartbreak of a lost loved one and the joy of battles won, but last year, I was stopped in my tracks when a series of health problems and tests led me to have a biopsy of a suspicious lump. I was lucky. The tests came back negative and I’ve resumed normalcy. That’s not the case for many. In having met and interviewed folks that have won the battle and some that have not, you can’t help but notice when someone is missing – someone that won’t get to take that victory lap. One in particular shared their words of wisdom with me last year – words that helped me on those scary days. I still remember those stories and share that hope with others. There is no sense of defeat in the air. While I see tears running down cheeks and fight back my own, I know that there is a building amount of fierceness behind them. 

Tonight marked the 10^th anniversary of the Relay for Life here, and event organizers are hoping that this next decade will be cancer’s last. I’m rooting for that as well. Until then, there is much work to be done and more fighting to do. We hear so much about cancer. We talk so much about it. We hate it. It’s a terrible thief of happiness. As the saying goes, if you don’t like something, change it. Volunteer, fundraise, donate, start your own Relay team. Do something. Every year I’m inspired to do more. I hope in that sharing their stories and doing what I can, I can inspire others to do the same. One luminary bag in particular stood out to me tonight. It said, “Cancer cannot steal eternal life.” Let’s remember those we have lost, help those fighting stay positive and put all that we can into this battle. Put on your boxing gloves and let’s go knock this nasty disease out.