Writer / Demi Lawrence
On May 14-15, Relay for Life, a celebration of cancer survivors and their caregivers through the American Cancer Society, will be held at Forest Park in Noblesville starting at 10 a.m. A silent auction, food, games and a Luminary Ceremony to honor survivors and those who have fallen to cancer are only a few of the things that will take place at this event.
To raise awareness for the Relay, the committee will be painting the windows of businesses on the square of downtown Noblesville purple on May 6 in their Paint The Town Purple promotion. This event will coincide with Noblesville’s First Friday from 5-8 p.m. Luminary bags will also be sold that day to honor friends and family of those affected by cancer.
Committee member Christa Kinkhead has experienced cancer on the front lines. Her husband was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in June 2011 at age 38. Initially thought to have been caught early in stage 1, he had surgery to remove his entire colon and most of his rectum and then a temporary ileostomy. Later though, a biopsy found that the cancer was back in a few lymph nodes. This was followed with six months of chemotherapy and an ileostomy reversal after that.
“The Relay is important to me because I feel like I need to give back after going through the whole cancer battle with my husband,” Kinkhead said. “We had a lot of family and friends that stepped up to help us. It made me wonder what people do when they don’t have family and friends there for them.”
The funds raised by this event go to helping local cancer patients get to and from chemotherapy, lodging, trusted information through phone calls, brochures, website and Personal Health Kits. Ultimately though, the funds will go towards research to help find a cure.
The event is open to everyone and is free to attend. Team fundraising events and food will be on site, and the event will be full of fun activities for the entire family. For more information, you can visit the Noblesville Relay for Life Facebook page.
