Relay for life

Last weekend, people from all over Baldwin took part in an event that has become a tradition: the Relay for Life. Spectators gathered at the Senior High School track to cheer on the participants, who, with each lap, were raising funds for the battle against cancer. The Herald dispatched Nydja Hood, a freshman at the high school and a Herald intern, to cover the event, and she talked with Paul Gruol, a Relay for Life organizer from the American Cancer Society.

Hood: What exactly is the Relay for Life? Where did the idea originate?

Gruol: The Relay for Life is the American Cancer Society’s signature event. It actually started back in 1985, with Dr. Gordy Klatt in Tacoma, Wash. He was a colorectal surgeon who was tired of seeing his patients die from cancer. So he ran, and walked, a track in Tacoma for 24 hours. He raised around $27,000 for the local American Cancer Society.

It was his dream to see this event expand, but he never thought it would grow into the largest fundraising event in the world! Since 1985, the American Cancer Society’s relay has raised $3.5 billion. Last year we had over 5,000 communities across the United States participate and we went over 3.5 million volunteers. We’re actually in 20 countries around the world. It’s a fundraising event for cancer research and the programs and services that the American Cancer Society offers.

H: What is the experience like for participants? In what way does the ceremony bring people hope?

G: Personally, I lost my wife to cancer two years ago. The relay is a time of healing, and I think it gives you the opportunity to fight back. When my wife was first diagnosed, I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to do something, but I didn’t know what. There are many people like me; people who don’t know what to do in the face of cancer. The relay is a way of fighting against this dreaded disease and saying, “Enough is enough. We want to see an end to this disease that takes so much from us.”

We actually have one part of the event we call a “fight back ceremony,” where we have people come up to the stage and give their reasons for participating. We also have activities, games and other things straight through the night to keep everybody going and having a lot of fun. At the end, we have our closing ceremony.

H: How can people get involved?

G: There is a website we have that they can join and we also have meetings. Our website, www.relayforlife.org/baldwinhighschoolny, allows people to sign up or to donate. There’s also a “help” link. If you click there you’ll see a video telling you how to get involved. Participants can assemble a team of four to 15 people. We try to have people come down to the meetings so we can explain about team captains and how to organize. We’re interested in finding people who want to put and end to cancer, and have fun doing it.

Comments about this story? CConnolly@LIHerald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 283.