Taken at the Sunbeamer camp at RFL Win. There are many reasons people Relay. For some, it's a good cause. Others have personal reasons, friends or loved ones having had cancer, or having passed away from it.
From the beginning for me it was both. I've had close friends who'd passed away from it. Then in Fall 2021, it became much more personal when my Mother developed a growth that turned out to be cancerous. So I became a caregiver to help her recovery. She'd given birth to me and raised me, and then it was my turn to care for her. She was recovering for a while, then in spring 2022 the cancer came back and things went downhill. She passed away three years ago this morning.
I still have plenty of fun with my Relay friends, the joking around, the admiring of the events and builds, the comradery. But my part in this mission has taken on a more personal meaning. I will continue to help bring us a little closer to the day cancer is something Americans, and then all people on Earth, no longer have to worry about dying from.
Rest well my Mother,
Bixyl Shuftan
