Wednesday 7 May 2014

Relay For Life

Oh wow, I have so much to write about!

Last Saturday, my friends and I participated in the Cancer Council's Relay For Life. In teams, families and friends get together, set up tents and relay (walking/running) in shifts of 3 hours all around where ever the event is taking place (which varies from region to region) for a total of 24 hours. It was so wonderful to see so many people from the community taking part in this event in order to raise awareness of cancer and it's troubles, raise money for prospective research and new innovations that might in the future lead to a cure for cancer, and share their hope for a cancer free future. The event was very moving, with dozens of families sharing stories of survivors, battlers, and lost loved ones who had fought so hard against cancer. 

When the sun started to set, the "Hope" bags came out. These were brown paper bags with the words "Hope" written across them as well as messages for lost loved ones. Even in the middle of the night, when the sun had set, and the generators had unfortunately broken down, these Hope bags burned through the night. 

I managed to receive 2 shifts in a row, so my friend and I were walking continuously for 6 hours straight, with the longest time we spent on our bums being approximately 10 minutes. The wind bit hard, and the cold soon crept in but we did it. We walked 7 hours in total, and each hour we walked 5 km so all up, we walked 35 km plus a little bit extra. YAY. I am so extremely proud of us, and we are still waiting for the donations and sponsorships to roll in, and I will tell you all exactly how much we raised very soon. 

All in all, it was an absolutely wonderful experience. There were performances all night long, Zumba lessons, candle lighting, massage tents, hot food, speeches, songs, dancing, laughter and so much more. I am definitely participating next year and I encourage all of you to get onto the official Relay For Life  website  here and find out where your next nearest relay is occurring. Thank you all very much




2 comments:

  1. Oh, this is so great! Seven hours of walking, good for you! I wouldn't be able to stand on my feet after only four hours.
    I wish I could participate in something like this but my country isn't really into this stuff... We're more into volunteering, so I guess I'm going to do that when I've graduated.

    http://pickingupthepiecesoflife.blogspot.nl/

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  2. Norway sounds so culturally different! Thanks and yes it was very tiring!

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