It was a lap of victory. A lap to say “we have persevered and overcome.” A lap to celebrate that 33 local people are surviving and looking forward to what lies ahead. It was the cancer survivors’ lap. It opened Kimball’s 9th annual Relay for Life. One of the local survivors who took part in the lap was Deb Reinert. Reinert was diagnosed with breast cancer, underwent radiation, lost her hair and fought the disease. In September, she was deemed cancer free. “[The survivors’ lap] was very emotional,” she recalled. “It is amazing what you get out of participating. You know that you aren’t the only one that went through this.” After being cleared, Reinert has made it a personal goal to fight and prevent cancer in any way possible. She helps others who are diagnosed by talking with them about her experiences and what they can expect from treatments. She is currently taking a class to learn how to help with patient recovery and will volunteer at the St. Cloud hospital. “I have done a lot of talking,” said Reinert. “I want to be a support for those [who have cancer], I tell them that they can survive and they will come out of it.” Reinert helps others because she is grateful her battle is over and wants to use her experience in a positive way. “All of my volunteer work is done from the bottom of my heart,” Reinert said humbly. Reinert participated in Relay for Life to help raise money for cancer research. Reinert said, “[Relay for Life] is important to bring cancer awareness to other people in the community.” All night long After the survivors’ lap, team members joined in and walked around the high school gym for 12 hours. Participating in this year’s walk were 132 people on eleven different teams. Team members took turns walking around the gym. Each team claimed a corner or cubby in the school as their territory. In these areas, they set up chairs and sleeping bags. When they were not walking, team members could rest there. For entertainment, different events were held throughout the evening. Ryan Rice and the Final Answer Quartet sang to participants. Rice sang one song in honor of his grandmother who lost her life to cancer. Sandy Hansen was the keynote speaker. She talked about her late husband and his battle with cancer. She was specifically chosen because of her experiences with cancer and understanding of the disease. “We wanted to find something motivational yet uplifting,”Meierhofer said. “[Hansen] did the eulogy at her husband’s funeral, which I attended. It was so heart warming, I felt that we need her to speak and get her message out.” Because of unpredictable weather, the walk had to move indoors. This is the first year a Kimball relay has been held inside. “This didn’t dampen our spirit,” said Meierhofer. This year’s event raised more money than ever before – $60,413.13. The money was raised by individual and team donations. To participate in the walk, each individual is required to raise $100. Sixteen people raised $1,000 individual and were named “star supporters.” The top money-raising team was the Generation Gap with over $11,000. Reinert was the top individual raising $2,525. To raise the money, teams organized different fundraisers throughout the year. Meat raffles, suppers, dances and silent auctions have been held by various teams. Reinert was the leader of the Farmers team. “My favorite event was the Hammerschlagen. To win you needed a little skill and a lot of luck,” said Reinert. “The hammerschlagen was fun because it was held where I work. It was the biggest and most successful fundraiser we had.” Meierhofer was on the Lifesavers team that held a lucrative bologna supper. The Lifesavers chose their name “because we are literally saving lives,” said Meierhofer. For camaraderie, the team wore lifesavers on their hats and bags. While the Relay for Life event was a fun-filled evening for all of the participants, organizers wanted to emphasize that this is just much more than a fundraising event. “Obviously, we have a passion for raising money and for people with cancer,” said Meierhofer. “But it is much more than that. There are people out there who are surviving and there are people who aren’t. The money raised goes to research but we are also raising awareness about cancer through this event.” Meierhofer explained that cancer is getting closer to everyone. More people are finding out that someone they love has cancer. “The money raised may help diagnose someone sooner because of all of the research that is being done.” With earlier detection, cancer is easier to treat. For more information on the Relay for Life or cancer research, visit the American Cancer Society’s Web site www.cancer.org.
