There are many “awareness” months on the calendar these days, but perhaps none is as important as March. March is Colon Cancer Awareness month. This is the second most deadly type of cancer, yet it’s also one of the most treatable with early detection. If caught early, there’s a 90% chance of survival. The problem is, it is symptom free so people who have colon cancer often don’t realize it until it’s too late.
It’s time to kick colon cancer and all types of cancer to the curb. One local event is fighting to make that happen.
Every year the American Cancer Society hosts Relay for Life around the country. This event invites communities to come together to bring awareness to the disease, honor survivors and caregivers, and remember those we’ve lost.
What is Relay for Life?
Relay for Life invites participants to walk the track at a local high school or park. The event goes on at least twelve hours, with most being up to 24 hours, so team members alternate shifts walking in support of cancer research and finding a cure.
Why such a long event? Because cancer never sleeps, and we can’t sleep either until there is a cure.
This year’s Tucson/Vail Relay for Life is happening on May 15 from 6 p.m. – 6 a.m. at Empire High School. This is Vail’s opportunity to come together and show our support for everyone affected by cancer in anyway from those in our community and to people around the world.
How You Can Get Involved
There are several ways that you can get involved in this year’s Tucson/Vail Relay for Life.
Sign Up
Grab a couple of friends, a group you belong to, or your family and sign up a team! Teams have a lot of fun raising money before the event and at the event. This is a great excuse to get out on a Friday night and spend time with the people you care about, while supporting a great cause.
Dedicate a Luminaria
Not ready to form a team but still want to participate? Dedicate a luminaria to someone you know that has been impacted by cancer. The luminaria ceremony happens at 9:15 where all the names of survivors, people fighting cancer, and people who lost their lives because of cancer will have their name read. It’s a beautiful ceremony and one of the most moving parts of the event.
Donate
You can also donate as an individual, to the event, or to any of the teams already raising money for the Tucson/Vail Relay for Life. Your donation goes toward funding research and education programs, and making the lives of those fighting cancer a little bit easier.
No matter how you get involved, we hope to see you at the event on May 15!
