Why I Relay
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
By: John Staples

This is the driving force as to why I make the Relay for life an all night Marathon.

This year I will be participating in my 2nd Relay for Life in Fredericton, representing Atelka Inc. Our team, Team Wipeout was delighted to contribute to the relay last year, and is excited to get back on the track again this year.
Last year I joined the team late, with only two weeks to fundraise. I was motivated to join our team by 4 individuals, and decided that if I reached a goal of $1000.00, I would walk the entire night, non-stop. The first individual was my grandmother who died of cancer when I was very young. One of my most memorable moments of her was of standing at the foot of her hospital bed and hearing her tell the nurse that she just wanted to die to end the pain. Second was my dad's best friend who was diagnosed with cancer, and succumbed to it only weeks later. Third was the father of a very dear friend of mine. My friend shared with me how he was there looking into his dad's eyes during his final moments. And fourth was a high school friend of mine whose only wish was to have one last Christmas with his wife, and three young daughters. He passed away on Boxing Day, 2007.
There are other stories as well that move me to Relay! My other grandmother had her own bout with cancer...and beat it. I have cousins who have experienced it and overcome. At my work are two very special ladies who are able to march in the Survivor March because somewhere, someone supported cancer research. I want to see the Survivor March get bigger and bigger!
It was because of the overwhelming response of family, friends, coworkers, and people that I don’t even know that I raised over $2000 in those two weeks. I walked the Fredericton Raceway all night, completing 66 laps (33 miles/53.1 KM). This walk took a week-long toll on my body, but each memory and each dollar raised made it well worth it.
This year I have much more time to prepare for the Relay, and as a result I am committing to you, to cancer survivors, and to all who have been affected by this common enemy, that if I raise $5000.00 I will again walk the entire night. Survivor stories let us know that this cause is so incredibly worthwhile.