photo by: Emma Delk

John Marshall High School LEO Club member Meredith Tucker volunteers at the Marshall County Relay for Life by placing luminarias Friday at the John Marshall Fieldhouse in Moundsville.

MOUNDSVILLE — Marshall County residents gathered on Friday to honor cancer survivors and those lost to the disease during the Relay for Life 40th Anniversary celebration.

The event marked 40 years since Dr. Gordy Klatt ran a 24-hour marathon around a track in Tacoma, Wash., sparking a global movement to fight cancer. Marshall County Relay for Life participants took up Klatt’s message on Friday to raise money to fight the disease.

Rain pushed the event from the John Marshall High School parking lot to the John Marshall Fieldhouse in Moundsville. Though the location was changed, the activities and ceremonies remained the same.

Marshall County Relay for Life Co-Chair Bonnie Wendt kicked off the ceremony with a “thank you” to attendees for coming despite “Mother Nature throwing a wrench in their plans.”

Marshall County Relay for Life Co-Chair Patricia Weinschenker read the American Cancer Society’s Mission Statement.

The organization’s mission is to improve the lives of people with cancer and their families through advocacy, research and patient support, and ensure everyone has an opportunity to prevent, detect, treat and survive cancer.

Survivor Speaker Pastor Rocky Wills then shared what the term “survivor” means to him after his 20-year-long battle with cancer. He noted that his battle with cancer has given him a “clear perspective on life” and a “deeper appreciation of what really matters.”

“Being a cancer survivor has given me the gift of knowing my own mortality, and it’s given me a strength I didn’t know I had,” Wills said. “We as survivors have been forced to navigate things we never thought we’d have to face. We surprise ourselves when we look back at what we’ve come through and get ready for another battle.”

Caregiver Speaker the Rev. Kathy Wills also gave her perspective on the significance of assisting her husband, Rocky, through his battle with cancer. She said how one responds to life’s trials and struggles is “what makes the difference.”

“I never really thought of my last 20 years as being a caregiver — I thought of the last 20 years as taking care of and helping a man that I loved,” Wills noted. “Watching your loved ones go through things you wish they didn’t have to and seeing them struggle to do the things they used to hurts, but we can endure and press on with hope in Christ. In desperate times, hope is our only remedy.”

photo by: Emma Delk

Cancer survivors join hands and walk together during the survivor’s lap of the Marshall County Relay for Life.

Following the Wills’ speeches, the “relay” portion of the event began with the first survivor lap and the caregiver lap. As the survivors took their first loop around the gym, they received a standing ovation from attendees.

Weinschenker admitted she was “nervous” leading up to the event due to the change of venue, but was thrilled that the celebration could continue as planned indoors.

“We’ve held Relay for Life for over 28 years in Marshall County, and we’ve never had to move indoors before,” Weinschenker said. “Even though it rained, I still wanted to have this space for survivors and to remember those we have lost to cancer.”

Weinschenker hoped the Marshall County Relay for Life would still reach its fundraising goal of $52,000 for the ACS. Before the opening ceremony, the event had raised nearly $40,000.

The 24 teams registered for this year’s Relay for Life collected donations to reach the fundraising goal during the event. Team tables lined the walls of the field house as team members gathered donations from attendees.

“Hobby Toppers” team member Rose Hart said the crafting club participates in the event yearly because one of their members, Penny Evans, is a cancer survivor. She noted that most people have a family member who has had to battle cancer or has lost a loved one to the disease.

“Penny Evans sees this as very important since she’s a survivor and she encouraged us to go ahead and get the team together to participate,” Hart said. “We’re selling raffle tickets to raise money for a good cause that impacts many community members. So many struggle with cancer, and it’s in every family somewhere, so we need to stick together and work together to find the cure.”

“Pookie Power” was another team eager to raise money for the fight against cancer. The team was created in memory of Hannah Woods, a JMHS student who lost her life to the disease. Woods’ family members and other supporters donned golden t-shirts decorated with the team’s logo, which was designed by Woods’ sister, Grey Woods.

The group’s table was also decorated with the names of other children battling cancer that Hannah met while in treatment.

Woods’ mother and Team Captain Beth Woods said the group was the “Gold Together” team of the Marshall County Relay for Life. This designation means that all the money raised by the group would go towards childhood cancer research.

“We named our team ‘Pookie Power’ because our daughters always called each other pookies, so we do it too,” Woods said. “We also wanted to honor all the kids that we know who are battling or have battled cancer. It’s important to raise money for the children going through cancer since we want to find better treatments that can lead to better outcomes for kids with cancer.”

Another way the event raised money for the ACS was through luminaria sales. These lamps are lit in remembrance of a loved one lost to cancer, someone currently battling cancer or anyone who’s overcome cancer.

The ceremony to light the luminarias commenced during the final stretch of the event. John Marshall High School Strings Program members provided music for the ceremony.