Hundreds Team Up Against Cancer in Relay for Life

A spirit of exuberance was in the air at as Monrovia kicked off its 7th annual Relay For Life Event at 11 a.m. on Saturday.

On a clear, sunny morning, participants enjoyed a breakfast table of fruit and pastries provided by Methodist Hospital, and listened to tunes by D.J. On The Move. Jenny Pappano, Event Chair, started the event by introducing Monrovia’s mayor Mary Ann Lutz. 

“What a beautiful morning to do the right thing,” Lutz said to a cheering crowd. She recalled the first event, which was held in , had about eight or ten teams. By contrast, 45 teams were participating in  Saturday’s event.

“This relay gets better and better every year,” Lutz said. “Keep walking. It’s healthy, it’s good for us, and we’re doing the right thing. We’re going to make a difference,” she said.

Participants faced the flag pole in front of the as Jessica Valentine, a senior from Temple High School, sang the National Anthem. Valentine also sang Miley Cyrus’s “Life’s A Climb” as the opening ceremony started with survivors walking their first lap under an arch of balloons. 

Over 300 walkers  participated in Monrovia’s Relay For Life this year.  Participants set up booths, chairs, and even tents where they could seek shelter or catch a few winks of sleep throughout the 24-hour event.

Caregivers, survivors, and loved ones of those who suffered from cancer joined together to fight back, and slogans on banners, such as “Caregivers—Facing Cancer Together” and “Survivors—Celebrating Life” imparted the participants’ resilience and determination to defeat the disease.

Teams which set up booths at the event also chose from a list of different kinds of cancer to promote awareness at the event.  Those who registered received a “Passport To Health” booklet with 23 questions about cancer awareness. Participants visited the booths to learn more about the "fight back" activities and got their passport stamped. Those who collected all the answers and stamps qualified to enter a prize drawing to be held on Saturday evening.

Charlie Innecken, a student at , and Corey Fuller, a youth minister with Restored Life Fellowship, were two of the participants at a booth promoting skin cancer awareness. Both said this was their first time participating, and that they’d been invited by Dr. Kevin Mercado, the event’s co-chair. Their team was represented by about 12 people from Restored Life Fellowship,  they said.

“It’s good to support cancer research and awareness, and also just to be in the community and get to know other groups and organizations in the community,” Fuller said.

Michelle Metcalf was one of the participants manning Sierra Auto’s booth, which promoted awareness of breast cancer. Metcalf said this was their fourth year participating in the Relay for Life event and that they’d focused on a different kind of cancer every year. This year their booth, which was first on the list of the Passport to Health survey questions,  featured a new game, “Bra Pong.”

“We just put all the bras that  were donated from family members and kind of nailed them up there,” she said.  
 
Event Chair Jenny Pappano was also serving as the relay team captain for a group called Stitchers For Life.

“We’re all here because we know somebody with cancer,” she said. “We’re raising funds to fight back. We walk for 24 hours because it’s symbolic. Cancer never sleeps.”