A young lady in Lake Stevens, Washington, wrote a touching essay about her grandfather, who passed away from mesothelioma in May 2009. Roberta Pierce said she is dedicating her participation in Relay for Life to him. His death is still with her, she writes. “I still have the scar on my heart. It’s puckered and pink, and is still sore.”
Relay for Life is an overnight event held in cities throughout the United States, to raise funds for the American Cancer Society. Teams of people camp out around a track, and take turns walking around the track for the duration of the event. Each event begins with a “Survivors Lap,” during which cancer survivors circle the track as a testament to hope for a cure, and for beating cancer.
Then, people walk who are currently battling cancer, or in honor of those who are fighting cancer, or, like Roberta, for those who lost the battle.
In her touching essay, Roberta talks about the fear she felt when she learned her beloved “Papa” had been diagnosed with cancer, and about finding out there was no known cure for mesothelioma, which is caused by exposure to asbestos. She shares precious memories of being wrapped in her grandfather’s loving embrace, held up by his strong farmer’s hands. She expresses the sense of loss and emptiness she felt when she realized he was gone from this earth forever.
“This is why I am doing Relay for Life,” she writes. “I want to prevent other kids from feeling this ache that I feel, from the pain of losing someone they love and hold close in their heart.”
Read Roberta’s essay in the Lake Stevens Journal
.
Sign up for a Relay for Life event near you!Tags: American Cancer Society, asbestos, mesothelioma, Relay for Life, Roberta Pierce, Washington
This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 21st, 2012 at 1:27 pm and is filed under Events, People. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
View the original article here
Relay for Life is an overnight event held in cities throughout the United States, to raise funds for the American Cancer Society. Teams of people camp out around a track, and take turns walking around the track for the duration of the event. Each event begins with a “Survivors Lap,” during which cancer survivors circle the track as a testament to hope for a cure, and for beating cancer.
Then, people walk who are currently battling cancer, or in honor of those who are fighting cancer, or, like Roberta, for those who lost the battle.
In her touching essay, Roberta talks about the fear she felt when she learned her beloved “Papa” had been diagnosed with cancer, and about finding out there was no known cure for mesothelioma, which is caused by exposure to asbestos. She shares precious memories of being wrapped in her grandfather’s loving embrace, held up by his strong farmer’s hands. She expresses the sense of loss and emptiness she felt when she realized he was gone from this earth forever.
“This is why I am doing Relay for Life,” she writes. “I want to prevent other kids from feeling this ache that I feel, from the pain of losing someone they love and hold close in their heart.”
Read Roberta’s essay in the Lake Stevens Journal
.
Sign up for a Relay for Life event near you!Tags: American Cancer Society, asbestos, mesothelioma, Relay for Life, Roberta Pierce, Washington
This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 21st, 2012 at 1:27 pm and is filed under Events, People. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
View the original article here
