Two years ago I had the opportunity to participate in Relay for Life, and it was one of the greatest things I have ever done. So this year, I am encouraging all of you to participate in this amazing event. I know you have heard about Relay For Life already, but hopefully I can convince everyone to go!

Two years ago, I had a group of ten people and went to sign up and three people backed out because they had “better things to do”.
Point one: There is nothing better anyone can do than help another person. Consciously making a difference in a persons life is an experience that changes you! After these three people backed out, another three people backed out because “they didn’t know anyone with cancer”.
Point two: It doesn’t matter if you know someone with cancer at all. When I entered relay for life, no one in my family had cancer, I didn’t even know anyone with cancer, I didn’t know anyone who knew anyone with cancer. Cancer doesn’t have to affect you personally. The important thing is to realize that it does affect so many people all over the world. It’s important to do something about it.
So, my team of ten slowly dwindled down to four participants.
Point three: you don’t NEED a team of ten to participate. Two years ago my team consisted of four people, and that was fine! If you want to participate, you can!

Now to the actual event… (of course this is what happened two years ago, and it might change!)
The relay started with the survivors lap, which was emotional for everyone involved. Watching the survivors walk around the ‘track’ (bus turn-around) encourages you to join the fight against cancer. If they can fight it ‘face-to-face’, we can sure help them!
Another emotional part of the relay is the… bag ceremony. I don’t know what it’s called but it was a very powerful moment. Everyone has a luminary bag and writes who they are relaying for on the bag. Even if you aren’t relaying for a specific person… you can write ‘keep fighting’ or something like that. Then the glow sticks or candles are put in the bags and they are placed around the track. I cried, a lot. It was very emotional.
To keep people entertained there are bands who perform throughout the night. It also helps to keep people awake. Hard to fall asleep with music blaring!
Another exciting event that happened last year was head shaving. I’m sure this will happen again this year. Many people participated in this and shaved their head and donated the hair to cancer. It was really emotional and powerful.
One of the ‘rules’ of the relay is that one person from your team must be on the track at all times. No, they don’t keep track and it’s not a big deal if you have to pee or something, but participating and following this rule makes it a lot of fun. You get to meet new people and talk with people you might not talk to very much when you’re walking. Since your close friends are most likely on your team, and only one of you has to be on the track at one time, you often find yourself on the track by yourself. I found that I strengthened friendships with some people I probably wouldn’t have talked to if it weren’t for the relay.

To avoid dragging on and on, I will close with this.
This year, I am relaying for my aunt, who has terminal cancer. She has fought this disease for one year now and her time is running out. For her, and for all others struggling with this disease… there IS hope, and this relay can help. It’s so important to participate and help other people. It is a life changing experience and I encourage all of you to participate in this amazing event.

I recently heard about an event that I thought I would tell everyone about. It is called ‘LOVE is the Movement’, supported by the foundation “To Write Love On Her Arms”, which raises awareness for suicide and depression.

Valentines week has the highest rate for suicides than any other time of year. It also has the highest rate of breakups. Valentines day might be happy and joyous for those who have a girlfriend/boyfriend, but for those who don’t, it can be a really depressing time. This year, TWLOHA has organized a world-wide event called Love Is The Movement. Participants are to write the word “LOVE” on their arm, or “Love is the movement”, or something to that effect on both the 13th and 14th. Then throughout Wednesday and Thursday, when people ask about your arms, you are to explain about TWLOHA and tell people that they are loved by someone. This is a really close issue to my heart as I recently lost someone to suicide, and I think it is really important to just show other people that they are loved. This isn’t just something you can do on Valentines day, you can do it for the rest of your life. You can make a difference in peoples lives every day just by spreading a little love… a smile, a hello. It really makes a difference and I would love if more people got involved in Love Is The Movement. After you talk to people you are supposed to ask if you can write love on their arms, in order to spread the word.

For those who want more info about TWLOHA and LOVE is the Movement, just post a reply and I’ll get back to you today. It’s really important to spread the love!!