Walkers celebrated cancer survivors and remembered lost loved ones this weekend during the annual Relay for Life fundraiser in Ferndale.
Twenty teams and approximately 230 people had raised nearly $45,000 ahead of the 24-hour walking relay that kicked off at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Ferndale High School track, according to the Relay for Life website. Teams also sold food and merchandise from Made in Michigan-themed tents that ringed the track, with all proceeds to benefit the American Cancer Society.
More than 4 million people in more than 20 countries worldwide participate in Relay for Life events each year, according to the American Cancer Society.
Two-time cancer survivor Linda Whitman of Ferndale was among them Saturday at Ferndale High School.
"I had to convince myself I was sick. I was just determined it wasn't going to beat me," Whitman said of being diagnosed with leukemia in 2010 and cervical cancer in 2013. "At my 3-month checkup (this year), it was all clear.
"Keep your spirits up because once you let the depression take over, you'll start to go downhill," she said. "I tell caretakers to keep their spirits up because that's how they're going to make it through. It's a long process."
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