On April 15-16 I volunteered in part with Alpha Phi Omega at relay for life. It took place up at the Panther Trails and the activities took place from 6pm until 6am. There were food and games as well as prizes to give away. Throughout the night, we were split into groups and walked the trails for about an hour at a time. There was also time to listen to the stories of cancer survivors. The stories were very inspirational . I learned a new level of respect for teh survivors after listening to their personal struggles and overcoming cancer. My best friends mom was diagnosed with cancer and battled it for years. I never really knoew what it was that she went through or what they went through as a family struggling together to get past the disease.
I felt like this could easily relate to what we have learned in class, because after participating I found out how a diagnoses like cancer changes not just the individual, but the entire family. It really is a process and I have nothing but the most respect for those families who endured and overcame that crisis. I enjoyed meeting so many new people at the event and getting a sense of them as an individual and not a diagnoses. Also some of the members of Alpha Phi Omega that I met prior to doing relay for life, I have really been able to connect with. We keep in touch and I am actually inspired to do more voluteer work with them in the future. I honestly never knew that helping families could be as simple as listnening to stories over good food and games and walking to save a life. Services like this really can make a world of difference, especially in a small town like this one. It is a good support system for fellow survivors and individuals currently battling cancer.
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