OTTAWA — For one night each year in June, the Titan football field at Ottawa-Glandorf High School is filled with a crowd different from than its usual football and track fans. For six hours, the citizens of Putnam County come together to fight for a different cause: to find a cure for cancer.
On Friday evening, hundreds of people from around Putnam County came together for the 2016 Relay for Life.
Currently, there are over 14.1 million Americans in the United States living with cancer.
“[The relay is for] everyone, those who have cancer and those who might get cancer,” said Pam Niese. “We never know where or when cancer may hit so we want to find new cures, therapies and ways to prevent cancer.”
Pam Niese has been involved in Relay for Life for a decade as a team captain, a committee chairwoman and is now in her second year on the lead event team. She says she relays to honor the memory of her sister, Lisa Berger Kitchen, who lost her fight with cancer in 2003, in addition to raising money to support funding for a cure to all cancers so that others may be helped.
“Cancer has been around for a long time and there has significant strides to finding a cure, but the fight needs to continue,” Niese said. “The treatments five years ago are different then it is today. More patient friendly medications and treatments — not as much hair loss, nausea, vomiting or etcetera.”
Relay For Life, hosted by the American Cancer Society, is an event that gives people in communities across the globe a chance to celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember the loved ones they have lost and fight back against cancer. It is an organized community fundraising walk where teams of people camp out around a track and members of each team take turns completing laps around the track. Each team has food, games and activities to provide entertainment and fellowship. Niese says that it’s a family-friendly environment for the entire community.
“Because it’s a team event, individual participants are not required to be there the entire time,” Niese said. “But it’s so much fun; you’ll find it hard to leave.”
The relay has different laps that are significant to those who walk them. There is the Survivor Lap, for those who have fought their battle with cancer, the Caregiver Lap, for those who have stuck by their loved ones through their fight, and different laps for different types of cancer.
“My all-time favorite is the Luminaria Ceremony which takes place after dark, where we can remember the people that we lost and honor the people who fought cancer in the past and to support the people who are still fighting,” Niese said.
Other entertainment included an auction in which the items are donated back to Relay for Life, dancers from The Dance Center and Center Stage Dance Academy and a Zumba demonstration.
Last year, the Putnam County Relay for Life raised $46,000 for the American Cancer Society. This year, their goal was $51,000, which is something Niese hoped that they can top. Fundraising for the relay is a year-long endeavour. Niese said teams raise donations by whatever means possible, including bake sales, car washes and the making and selling of crafts.
“Without continued financial support we would not be getting closer to a cure for all cancers, better medications, therapies and radiation, as well as improving cancer patients’ quality of life,” Niese said. “We encourage everyone to participate in this great cause.”
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