Monday, June 6, 2011

Leduc Relay For Life...

On June 3, 2011 Team Hope participated in the Relay for Life. Our team managed to raise $14,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society. In total, Leduc raised over $109,000. Thank You to all that supported us, this relay would not have been a success if it wasn't for all of your generous donations...





My entire life my favourite color has been yellow... It isn't a color I wear often! It takes a special type of person to pull off wearing the color yellow...


Someone who is a SURVIVOR!







 The beginning of the relay was in celebration of all the amazing survivors... Coming together and honoring the people who have overcome this terrible disease, celebrating how far they have come while trying to leave behind the fear, the pain, the devastation they once were faced with.



The Survivors do the first lap for the relay... It is certainly a touching moment filled with Hope and Pride. So inspiring that you can get lost in that emotion and find yourself forgetting about how devastating cancer can be for those who are faced with loss...

I listened to music the entire time I edited these photos... It brings a whole different range of emotions to the evening... One song in particular hit a nerve with me! It isn't a happy song, it isn't a song that's going to fill you with hope and inspiration but it certainly fills me with real emotion for the suffering and sadness involved with losing a loved one to cancer...



 The reality of it is, that with the word cancer comes a fear, a devastation and the memory of loss for many people... I was photographing the Survivors first lap and found a place to lay down to get the shot I wanted... It wasn't until I got home and looked through my photos did I notice that I had been laying next to the luminary bag of Jon Hier during the survivors lap...

I did not know John and do not know his wife Cheryl but I do know of them... Jon left behind his wife and children when he lost his battle to cancer. This bags message drops me to my knees with emotion every time I look at it. It has been the cause of many tears for me over the last few days...


                          




                                                             Meet Al...
Al is a Survivor... I met him on the suvivors lap when he approached me to take a photograph of him with his mother's luminary. It would seem that this should be an easy task but in all honesty this was my biggest fear of the night coming true... Being a beginner and just learning the ins and out of photography, I over exposed the photo and missed this shot.  ( CLICK HERE for Linda's view) It probably won't surprise you if you look at this photo that I used my amateur photoshop skills and added the luminary bag into this picture just to give myself piece of mind.

                                                             
I walked the rest of the track with Al... A kind, gentle, friendly man. I had a difficult time understanding everything he said to me. You see Al has been on a difficult path. He explained that his jaw and tongue had been reconstructed and that the Dr's had given him another chance at life. He said with enthusiasm "those Dr's, they really can do everything" ... We walked the lap together and he shared with me that he once raised Thoroughbreds and that he worked until he was 75 years old, that he lost his mother to cancer and that he misses her dearly. Al also shared with me that he was proud to be a survivor of cancer and that he was happy to come to the end of the very long "first" lap of the night... The lap of survivors that Al and I shared will be a moment in my life that I will never forget. It was an emotional kick off to a life changing evening.


                                Here are a few more Luminaries that touched my heart...







The actual relay was many different teams made up of 4 or more people... I'd say most of these people having a loved one that they are relaying for. The track is lined with luminaries in honor of survivors,  in memory of people lost and in HOPE for people currently FIGHTING. The idea is to light your luminary and keep it lit through out the evening as you relay. This task proved difficult as we were faced with rain and snow for most of the evening but as you can see  the track was well lit...















I am going to end this blog post with two photos for my dear friend Christine and her father Ralph... Ralph is currently undergoing agressive treatment for cancer of the prostate. Christine is a friend that I love like my sister, she has become a person in my life that I love more than I love myself. I honestly am at a loss of words for what I can say to ease the fear and helplessnes I know that she is feeling...

                                                         My  Friend...

I know I can never put ease to what you are feeling right now. All I can offer you is a shoulder to cry on, a hand to hold, a silent ear for listening, a place to lean when you can't take anymore...                                 
                                                             
                                                        You are not alone...

I BELIEVE with FIGHT there is HOPE...

                         All images are copyright of the Canadian Cancer Society
Images from three other Photographers will be available for purchase in two weeks time, with all proceeds from the sale of photos going directly to the Canadian Cancer Society.  
It’s a way to raise even more funds for our Relay.
Here are the links to the other photographers.
LMK Photography

Please be sure to check back as I know I have more photos to add and I am sure Linda does as well... xo