By Staff
BERRIEN SPRINGS – Where else can you celebrate cancer survivorship, remember loved ones lost and fight back against a disease that takes too much – all in the span of 24 hours – other than at the American Cancer Society Relay For Life?
This summer, the Relay For Life of Berrien County will feature a new and inspiring Fight Back Ceremony during which participants will make a pledge to save one life from cancer this year. Individuals between the ages of 30 and 65 who have never been diagnosed with cancer and are willing to make a long-term commitment to the fight will have an especially powerful opportunity – by enrolling in the third Cancer Prevention Study by the American Cancer Society. Enrollment is on Saturday, June 21 between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. at the relay.
Berrien County is one of 117 sites throughout the country providing enrollment opportunities in 2008. This historic study will help researchers better understand the genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors that cause or prevent cancer and will ultimately help eliminate cancer as a major health concern. Previous Cancer Prevention Studies have helped establish the link between cigarette smoking and lung cancer, shown that obesity increases one's risk for several cancers and linked aspirin use to a lower death rate from colon cancer.
Berrien County CPS-3 volunteer chair Teresa Fitzgerald was diagnosed with a late-stage melanoma in 2003. She credits breakthroughs in research as one of the reasons she is here today.
"I'm a stage IV malignant melanoma survivor who participated in a clinical trial. Someone gave me a second chance with the opportunity to participate in research that led to that clinical trial," Fitzgerald said. "Now, you can be someone else's second chance by participating in CPS-3."
Berrien County residents will once again have the opportunity to celebrate the victory of local cancer survivors during the Survivors Lap at 10:30 a.m. and remember those lost to the disease during the poignant Luminaria Ceremony at 10 p.m. Saturday.
The Relay for Life of Berrien County will take place on June 21 to 22 at the Berrien County Youth Fairgrounds from 8 a.m. to 8 a.m. For more information on how you can get involved, contact Shelli Knoll at (269) 876-8915 or shelli.knoll@cancer.org. To learn more about Cancer Prevention Study-3, visit www.cancer.org/cps3, email cps3@cancer.org or call toll-free 1-888-604-5888.
Donations can be made to this local Relay for Life event and participants can start a team by visiting www.relayforlife.org and clicking on Find Relay Events.
As the Society's signature event, Relay has been bringing cancer survivors and anyone touched by the disease together for more than 20 years. Held overnight in honor of the fact that cancer never sleeps, Relay for Life has grown from a single event in Tacoma, WA that raised $27,000 to the largest grassroots movement nationwide. More than 4,800 communities throughout the U.S. now host an American Cancer Society Relay for Life event and have raised more than $2.6 billion dollars for the fight against cancer.
The American Cancer Society is dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by saving lives, diminishing suffering and preventing cancer through research, education, advocacy and service. Founded in 1913 and with national headquarters in Atlanta, the society has 13 regional divisions and local offices in 3,400 communities, involving millions of volunteers across the United States.
For more information anytime, call toll free 1.800.ACS.2345 or visit www.cancer.org.