While, I’ve gone and done it. I’ve signed up for the Grand Forks Relay For Life and committed my lovely locks for chopping. That’s right—I’ll be sporting the cueball look. That is, if the goal of raising $500 is reached. You people out there can make this happen. To register go to relayforlife.ca and click donate and search for Craig Lindsay. Or you can call me here at the Gazette at 250-442-2191. Or you can drop by the office.
If getting my head shaved in a field in front of a bunch of cheering people isn’t enough motivation, this really is a great cause.
Relay For Life has been around for many years and is a mainstay in most communities across Canada.
I have attended as a reporter and photographer, Relay For Life events in Cranbrook, Castlegar, Merritt and Grand Forks. Each event is different and has its own unique charm. The common thread is people coming out to support those living with cancer and honour those lost to cancer. The money raised goes towards advancing cancer research and supporting Canadians living with cancer.
Pretty much everyone knows someone who is battling cancer and has lost people to cancer. It’s a horrible disease that strikes sometimes with little warning and doesn’t distinguish between male and female, young and old, rich and poor.
I’m doing this relay and head shave for my dad. He was a long-time smoker who quit but ended up with lung cancer 30 years later anyway. He passed away in 2012 after a short but fierce battle with the disease.
After watching what he went through at the end, I would like to see more done to ease the suffering of people with cancer like my father. Relay For Life is a real, tangible way to help.
My father was in his 70s when cancer claimed him. At the other end of the spectrum is Molly Imrie, a young lady whom I had coached in 2006 on the Kootenay regional summer games team. Molly grew up in Grand Forks and was a ball of energy when she played for our team at the games.
A few months later she went to the doctor complaining of knee pain. She was diagnosed shortly after with bone cancer; the same cancer Terry Fox had. Fortunately, through a couple of surgeries, doctors were able to isolate and remove her cancerous cells.
After a long stay at Children’s Hospital in Vancouver and with the support of family and friends, Molly is now a cancer-free, healthy young lady living on Vancouver Island and training to be a nurse.
I think I could say with near certainty that Molly is here today because of the cancer research made possible by fundraising through events like Relay For Life.
So I will relay for my dad and for Molly and for all the other people afflicted by cancer. Please sponsor me for all those reasons and if you can, join a team yourself and participate. Do it for someone you love.