Ohio County Relay for Life Raises Money, Fosters Community Among Cancer Survivors
Emma Delk Trending
BETHLEHEM -- The Ohio County Relay for Life brought its annual relay walk to a new location at Bethlehem Park while still fostering the same space of remembrance and community for cancer survivors.
Teams of volunteers gathered on Friday to participate in the relay and festival that raises money for both cancer research and survivor support. Local groups such as the Women's Club of Wheeling and Wheeling Park girls soccer hit the track alongside cancer survivors and their caregivers to raise money.
Before memorial events began, a basket raffle and a car show took place at 5:30 p.m. An opening ceremony, including a color guard and survivor walkout, kicked off the remembrance part of the event at 7 p.m.
After the opening ceremony, cancer survivors did the first lap of the relay, with their caregivers joining them on the second lap. After this initial walk, the team relay began.
"Having survivors walk with others who have fought the disease and then be joined by their family there supporting them as well is powerful for a lot of people," said Sarah Martin, event lead volunteer, on the significance of the first two laps. "Seeing a family member at one end of the track waiting for you is a beautiful experience."
Two-time cancer survivor Dorothy "Dottie" Folmar has been participating in the event since 2000 with the Latter Day Saints team "Faith in Every Footstep," and said her favorite part of the event was the survivor walk. At the start of the walk, participants share their name and how long they have battled cancer, which Dottie says "creates a really good feeling."
"When you can stand up and say 'I have survived cancer since 2015,' that feels amazing," she explained. "That's the best part here."
Folmar also treasures "seeing everyone," as she is able to catch up with fellow survivors at the event while sharing the story of her battles with breast and skin cancer. She noted that she "learns a lot" from other survivors as well.
"Some people at first don't want to talk about their cancer or push it away," added Folmar. "But they should because they're living a miracle."
Relay for Life raises money for cancer research in a variety of ways, including the luminaria, which are lamps sold to honor a loved one who has battled cancer. These lamps then illuminate the path survivors walk on at the event.
Proceeds were also raised by teams at the event by selling various foods and activities at their tents. Team members also collected donations from friends and family in their network before the event, and a Facebook fundraiser organized by Relay for Life of Ohio County helped raise money as well.
All proceeds for the event go towards the American Cancer Society to support cancer research that could fund a new treatment, medicine or screening method. While funds raised go towards a national organization, the Relay for Life still has a local impact in that whatever could be discovered in another state through research money can be carried over into Ohio County.
Apart from research, proceeds also trickle back locally through providing funding for community members to get screening appointments and also providing wigs, transportation and lodging for those with cancer who need it.
"Everybody always thinks, 'Oh, the money goes to these big huge places, and we never see any of it,' but we do see some of it, it's just not advertised a lot," explained Martin on both the national and local impact of the event.
Apart from the financial impact of the event when it comes to cancer research, there is a "powerful" and "healing" aspect for cancer survivors and others impacted by the disease, said Martin. She explained that the survivor walk allows survivors to know that they are never alone, no matter what stage of diagnosis or recovery they are in, as caregivers join the survivors in a second lap after they walk the first alone.
Martin emphasized that the event strives to focus on the "joyousness" of coming together as a community to celebrate those who have survived and are still fighting, not the "sadness" that cancer can bring.
"It's a celebration to commemorate all those who have fought cancer and survived and to remember those who have not," added Martin. "We want to remind survivors why they're doing what they're doing."
Martin acknowledged that since COVID-19 shut the event down in 2020, support for the event has been dwindling. She hopes that after spending the last couple of years holding the event at Centre Market, moving the event to Bethlehem will replicate the "same atmosphere" that the event had when it was held at Wheeling Park.
Carmen Hathaway, Senior Development Manager of the American Cancer Society, said she noticed the "crowd has increased just a little bit" since the COVID-19 decline. She said that the venue allowed them to hold all the teams comfortably while "still feeling close and at home."
"It feels like a family reunion here," she added. "There's just a great group of folks to work with here in Ohio County."