Why Courtney Supports Twin Falls Relay for Life

Cancer is an unbiased and impartial disease. When I was young, my grandmother battled Leukemia and my grandfather had prostate cancer.

And then, when I was in my early 20s, I watched my then-13-year-old cousin fight Ewing Sarcoma, a devastating type of bone cancer. She had over 70 tumors in her body, some as large as a football. With less than a 25 percent chance of survival, she got into remission, but a year later it came back with vengeance. By age 16, right after she got her driver’s license and purchased her own vehicle, she passed away. Cancer won, again.

This picture of us was taken about 6 months before her passing. I was so incredibly fortunate to see her in good spirits. This is how I like to remember her, a happy young vibrant soul that cancer extinguished from the world.

So many people in our community are affected by cancer, and I'm thankful the Twin Falls Relay for Life provides both a way to support the American Cancer Society and a family-friendly community event that acknowledges all forms of cancer. The Twin Falls Relay for Life will be from 6 p.m. to midnight Friday, May 17 at the Canyon Ridge High School track on the Walmart side. It is free to attend.

Here are 5 more reasons to support Twin Falls Relay for Life:

1) It’s fun for families. Each team has an area set up for their team to hangout and host a fundraiser, like carnival games, soda or water for sale, photo booths, etc. Plus, teams really get into the theme with decorations and costumes! It’s fun to walk around the track and just check out each team’s campsite. There’s also a stage set up for live music and entertainment.

2) It’s powerful. Everyone at the Relay is there for the same reason, they all hate cancer and want to end it. It’s pretty powerful to be in a crowd of people so passionate about the cause. The Relay starts out with a Survivor ceremony to celebrate those who have fought or are currently fighting cancer. And at nightfall there is a beautiful ceremony where luminaria bags are lit up all around the track with the names and photos of those who are survivors or those who have lost their life to cancer.

3) The money goes to a great cause. All of the money raised goes toward the American Cancer Society. They use this money to research and publish cancer screening guidelines, to advocate for cancer related policies, to fund groundbreaking cancer research and to support local patients with wigs and rides or lodging for treatment. There’s a cancer study being conducted at Boise State University that is funded by American Cancer Society!

4) The silent auction is pretty epic. Throughout the night you can bid on silent auction baskets donated from the community in the Silent Auction tent. In past years, auction items included bikes, BBQ grills, trips and concert tickets!

5) You're invited! The entire community is welcome to come out that night to support the cause, walk a lap or two, enjoy a meal from the food vendors and cheer for local survivors and caregivers. It’s a great excuse to keep the kids up late and support an awesome cause.

RSVP to the Facebook event to give yourself a reminder of the details: