Kicking cancer’s butt

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In nine years, Westfield Relay for Life has raised awareness and more than $800,000 for cancer research

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Last year, 1,012 people attended the eighth annual Westfield Relay for Life event. Co-chairwoman Janet Lome was all smiles just hours into this year’s relay on May 18 as that number was already surpassed.

“At the opening ceremony we already had that many,” she said. “We’re expecting 1,200 people.”

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Relay for Life participants make their way around the WHS track.

The ninth year not only marked the largest number of participants but a fundraising milestone.

“We’ll hit $800,000 this weekend since we started,” Lome said, adding that this year’s fundraising goal is $107,000. “Eight hundred thousand dollars, that is huge!”

The success of the annual event is not a surprise. The committee that organizes the relay is comprised of 38 volunteers, which include many cancer survivors.

“We love it. It’s a boat load of work but so worth it,” said Lome. “We forge our own path,”

Lome explained that of the 125 communities that host Relay for Life events in Indiana, Westfield ranks in the top 20.

“We’re No. 1 in customer satisfaction,” she said. “Every year we look for best practices.”

The event has also combined Westfield and Sheridan communities, schools and businesses as the two share the one event for two days at Westfield High School’s track.

“It is home. You sit here and see everybody you know. It’s just a lot of fun,” said Lome. “This community embraces Relay for Life. It makes it easy to run working with this community.”

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Serina Shelburne, right, and Amy Alemany create luminary bags.

Lome, who has had cancer three times, says her goal for anyone participating is a simple one – “I want them to realize how much fun raising awareness can be.”

The fun-raising had a few alterations this year, including a shorter schedule. Typically, a Relay for Life event is 24 hours but Westfield’s event was 18 hours. Lome said planners have been discussing the compressed timeframe since 2006 because so many survivors organize, setup, participate and cleanup the event.

“We’ll see how it goes. If people don’t like it we’ll go back to 24 hours,” she said. “We will raise the same amount of money.”

Some of the other new events at this year’s relay was Radio Disney on site playing music and games for families and a battle of the bands competition. Teenagers lined the first two lanes of the track facing the stage as most walkers slowed their pace to watch the live performances.

“It’s a new venue every 10 seconds – everyone sees you at different times,” said Westfield High School student Ian McIntyre.

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Attack by Fire band members Dominique Solano, from left, Ian McIntyre and Dan Day.

McIntyre, the lead singer of Attack by Fire, said performing four songs with his band was an amazing experience and a very meaning one.

“It’s a cause that hits close to home,” he said. “I not only support my family but other families that want to find a cure.”

Taking a break from walking around the track, M&M team members Serina Shelburne and Amy Alemany designed personal luminary bags inside a tent. Shelburne explained how cancer had taken grandmothers from both her and her husband, Andy, and how her father fought and survived.

“My mom is a breast cancer survivor and my stepfather is battling brain cancer and has been for four years,” Alemany said.

More than 30 family members and friends comprised the M&M team, which stands for multiple myeloma, a cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell normally responsible for producing antibodies. In multiple myeloma, collections of abnormal plasma cells accumulate in the bone marrow, where they interfere with the production of normal blood cells. Because multiple myeloma constitutes 1 percent of all cancers it does not receive much funding, all of the donations raised by the team will go towards that research – a cause close to the members.

“It’s a celebration of their life and beating cancer,” said Andy Shelburne. “Westfield is a great community to live in. It’s very supportive and it’s great to see all the people here giving their support.”


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