Fighting Cancer One Step at A Time

“It's a life-changing event,” Chair Michele Sibula said of the community fundraising extravaganza, which will begin at 10 a.m. June 11 at .

Because "cancer never sleeps," participating teams will take part in the Relay For Life for 24 hours with at least one member on the school's track until the closing ceremony on June 12.

“It's fun. It's touching. There are tears and there is laughter. It's just all those emotions rolled up into one feel-good day,” Sibula said.

It is a day that has lived on for Earl Sparkman of , who experienced his first Relay last year and has been touched by the inspiration of one participant ever since.

“Last year was the first year Rotary was involved,” Sparkman said. “I didn't have any idea what we were getting into. … As people gathered, this beautiful lady by the name of Ms. Cunningham showed up.”

The Ferndale Rotary Club sponsored the survivor tent during the event. The group provided the tent and volunteers, including Sparkman.

Sparkman said when retired teacher Marion Cunningham approached the survivor tent, he asked her if she would be making the first lap. A cancer survivor, still weak from treatments, looked at him and said that unfortunately, “There is no way I will make it.”

Sparkman said there was a determined look on her face that made him spring into action.

“I could see the look in her eye and knew right then that she really just needed to do it,” he said. “I walked around the place looking for something to get her around and no one had a wheelchair. So, I ran across a member of the church at 9 Mile and Pinecrest. I was prepared to not take no for an answer and would do almost anything to get Ms. Cunningham a wheelchair. But he went back to the church to get her a wheelchair. I was just so touched by that.”

He said the two of them made it around the track twice. During that time, they laughed, they cried and they shared their stories.

Sparkman said he was impressed that Marion Cunningham's daughter Jan was continuing a tradition of working in education. Jan Cunningham is  a kindergarten teacher at and gets lots of help in the classroom from her mother.

“There was just a connection that was pretty special,” he said.

Sibula said she took notice of their special relationship during last year's event.

“They immediately formed a feisty friendship,” she said.

Sibula said she saw Sparkman at a recent spaghetti dinner fundraiser and teased him about his “girlfriend.”

After catching up a bit, Sparkman was pleased to discover that Cunningham would be at this year's event.

“Do you know how much she touched my heart?” he asked Sibula.

'We celebrate, remember and fight back'

Relay for Life is marked with four ceremonies: The Cancer Survivor's Victory Lap, the Luminaria Ceremony, the Fight Back Ceremony and the Closing Ceremony.

A huge part of the relay, Sibula said, is celebrating cancer survivors and their caregivers. The first lap is the survivor caregiver walk.

“We define a survivor as anyone who has been told they have cancer. We consider anyone who has heard those words to be a survivor and we celebrate them,” she said. “The event is meant to be a celebration. We celebrate, remember and fight back, and those are the basic components.”

In the Victory Lap and in the Fight Back Ceremony participants are asked to make a personal commitment to fight back against cancer. The pledge, done privately or written on a form, can be something as simple as getting a screening test,  quitting smoking or talking to an elected official. It is a call for action to save lives and prevent others from hearing the news that they have cancer.

Since participating in the event last year, Sparkman said he found himself in  that situation.

“This year is a special year for me,” he said. He will participate as a volunteer and a survivor. “It's even worse when it's you they are talking to. When they told me 'that's malignant' I just said 'you have to be talking about someone besides me.' Ms. Cunningham came through my mind numerous times. And I thought, 'I can do this.' She and her attitude helped me get through this thing. This is about her. She is a fantastic lady and I just love her.”

Sparkman said he has watched brothers, family members and friends go through “this dreadful disease. I am thankful that Ms. Cunningham showed me how to get through that.”

He said he is now in good health and can't wait to celebrate with her.

“I'll be there, and I'll have a chair for Ms. Cunningham. This year I'll be prepared.”

A fun way to fight back

Everyone is encouraged to participate in Relay For Life, American Cancer Society Staff Partner Andrea Jones said.

Whether you donate, join a team, buy a luminaria or join the event on June 11, there are many ways to give back and support the cause, Jones said.

There is no admission charge to the event which she described as having a festival atmosphere. “The more the merrier,” she said.

Inflatables and a dunk tank will be set up. Participants are welcome to put up tents and sell their wares to benefit Relay for Life. Vendors will have food, cancer-related jewelry and products, Jones said.

Sibula said there are funny hat laps, walk backward laps and poker laps. Participants are given a playing card each lap for five laps. The best poker hand will get a prize.

The stage will be alive with entertainment, Jones said. Local favorites Bill Grogan's Goat and Saints of Soul will perform and a 24-hour DJ on hand. New this year will be campfire songs, and a marshmallow roast.

See Ferndale's Relay For Life website for more on the activities here or to donate to a specific team or to buy a luminary.

Those contributing a luminary may add a message to the bag that will be lighted during the Luminaria Ceremony. At dusk, the glowing bags are placed around the track as a tribute to those who lost the battle with cancer or to honor cancer survivors and their caretakers.

“Cancer has touched my life more times than I care to think about,” said Sibula, who works for the . She said her mother and multiple family members have had battles with cancer. “When a family member gets diagnosed, it's a helpless feeling. There's not a lot you can do. Everyone gets sick of the word 'cancer.' This is my personal way of fighting back.

“I hope in my lifetime that I see the day that no one has to be afraid of that word anymore.”

What funds support

Relay For Life funds support the American Cancer Society and its mission to find a cure, as well as to save lives by helping people stay well, get well and fight back. Find out more about the organization and its programs at www.cancer.org.

Services the ACS provides:

• 1-800-227-2345: Trained cancer information specialists are on hand 24 hours a day to answer questions and link callers with resources, which include oncology nurses, clinical trials, tobacco cessation assistance and health insurance assistance.

• Cancer.org. Learn about cancer and how to stay healthy, as well as explore research, find support, get involved and find programs available.

• Cancer Survivor's Network: Free online community is a safe place for people to find hope and inspiration from others.

• Look Good … Feel Better: Free program teaches people in active cancer treatment ways to help with appearance-related side effects. Sibula said the program has local volunteer cosmetologists who show women how to fill in eyebrows, apply makeup, wrap head-wraps and other beauty tips.

• Road to Recovery: Service provides rides to and from treatment for people with cancer who do not have a ride or are unable to drive themselves. Volunteer drivers donate their time and the use of their cars.

• Reach to Recovery: Program allows those with a breast cancer diagnosis to talk to a trained volunteer about diagnosis and treatment. The volunteers are breast cancer survivors.

• I Can Cope: Program offers free online classes for adults with cancer and their loved ones. These classes  help teach participants about cancer, treatment, eating healthy, and treating cancer pain.

• Camp Catch-A- Rainbow: The ACS sponsors camps across the country for children touched by cancer. They are equipped to handle specific needs of children who have or have had cancer.

• Personal managers: A good way to keep track of medicines, get sample questions to ask the doctor and other advice personalized to fit each patient and particular cancer. A manager is available, free of charge, for those who request one at 1-800-ACS-2345, Jones said.

Money earned also goes to research, and such schools as the University of Michigan, Mott in Ann Arbor and Indiana University. Since the American Cancer Society's research program began, more than $3.4 billion has been awarded to cancer researches across the nation, including 44 who have gone on to win Nobel Prizes.

“There is an incredible amount of resources available,” Jones said. “If you can think of it, we have it.”

This will be the fourth year the event in Ferndale. As of Wednesday night, the event had raised $58,685 and involved 347 participants and 23 teams. For more information, “like” the team's Facebook page or visit the event website.