Hundreds of local residents spent 24 hours this weekend at
Gilroy’s Christmas Hill Park walking around in circles.
The volunteers took part in Gilroy’s seventh annual Relay for
Life sponsored by the American Cancer Society. The 58 relay teams
took turns walking around a circular track from 10:30 a.m. Saturday
to 10:30 a.m. Sunday.
Hundreds of local residents spent 24 hours this weekend at Gilroy’s Christmas Hill Park walking around in circles.
The volunteers took part in Gilroy’s seventh annual Relay for Life sponsored by the American Cancer Society. The 58 relay teams took turns walking around a circular track from 10:30 a.m. Saturday to 10:30 a.m. Sunday.
This year’s relay raised about $128,000, which will be spent on cancer research and to provide patient support and care, said Gabe Nino, the event’s chairman. Last year, the volunteers raised $115,000.
On the St. Mary Men’s Club team, Jeff Cathers dedicated his walk to his mother, Jackie Cathers, who died three years ago of ovarian cancer.
“Cancer affects us all,” he said as he strolled along under overcast skies at the park on Saturday morning. “It touches us all in some way.”
His personal goal for the relay was to walk a total of 17 hours.
“That’s how long my mom was in labor with me when I was born,” he said with a chuckle. “We’ll see if I can do it.”
Debbi Sanchez, a co-chair for the relay’s Survivorship group, described how shocked she felt when, in January 2003, the doctor told her she had breast cancer.
“Cancer is not prejudiced,” she said. “It doesn’t care who you are, how young you are. It affects everybody.”
Despite her initial denial and fear on learning she had cancer, she said the disease has been a bit of a blessing in showing her how much she has to be thankful for in her life.
“My focus now is my friends and my family,” she said. “My needs are to be with my loved ones and to enjoy them.”
Besides raising money, the Relay for Life event also educates people on cancer research and prevention. Regular medical checkups are vital in helping to raise the chances of surviving cancer, said Ruth Slechta, co-chair of the relay’s Survivorship group. If doctors can catch cancer at the early stage of its growth, it can mean a better prognosis for the patient’s long-term survival, she said.
In August 2002, Slechta had recently retired as a nurse from the Hospice in the Valley when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
“We can be complacent,” she said. “Ovarian cancer is one of the silent ones.”
Santa Clara resident Jim Dahl, 51, participated in the Relay for Life event because he said he felt grateful he had survived throat cancer.
“They gave me a 30 percent chance of survival,” he said. “It felt like someone had kicked me in the ass.”
Dahl believes second-hand cigarette smoke contributed to his getting the cancer. He recently had three medical tests which indicate the cancer is now completely gone, he said. Support from his wife and friends, as well as bodybuilding and a positive mental attitude, helped him get through the rough time, he said.
Last week, Dahl came in second place in a bodybuilding competition in Santa Cruz.
Decked out in her crown, Alika Spencer, the 2004 Gilroy Garlic Festival Queen, took part in the Relay for Life by singing the national anthem at the opening ceremony. Later, she strolled the grounds with her court of princesses.
The reality of cancer hit her recently when she found out her boyfriend had a tumor found during an appendectomy.
“It was surreal,” she said. “I think I was more in shock than he was. … It’s important to get the community aware and show support for those who have cancer.”
Employees at various businesses in the South Valley region helped raised considerable sums for the relay event, Nino said.
Goldsmith Seeds raised $13,376, and the Black Bear Diner raised more than $10,000 from a percentage of patrons bills and tips, he said.
A group sponsored by the Gilroy Presbyterian Church, called “The Dalmatians,” raised about $10,000, in part from sales of hats resembling the ears and eyes of the spotted dogs, he said.
“We want to celebrate life,” Nino said, describing why volunteers feel passionate in raising money for cancer research. “We want to find a cure for future generations. It’s not for ourselves right now so much as for future generations.”
