It was a great event full of lots of activities for children of all ages! We had games going all night long to keep people awake and excited about Relay. One of the major highlights of the event though was the special guest that arrived in the late evening.
Mark Herzlich of the NY Giants visited the Salem Relay to talk about his battle with cancer. Mark Herzlich was diagnosed with Ewings Sarcoma (rare form of bone cancer) prior to his senior year at Boston College. After deferring his senior year one year, Herzlich returned to the football field to finish out his college football career. He was signed by the NY Giants in 2011 and started 3 games for the team. In February of 2012 the NY Giants won the Super Bowl, a goal that the doctors who diagnosed him with cancer never thought would happen. Not only did Herzlich beat the odds of even running again, but he is now a professional football player. Herzlich is an incredibly down to earth guy who just wants to educate the public about the importance of fighting back against cancer, even if that means physically fighting back. Everyone loved getting to meet him and his story was incredible!
The weather was once again perfect in Salem and the participants had a great time. The survivor reception was also a major highlight of the night. One of the committee members and his band played for the survivors and their guests, and they rocked it! Each survivor not only received their survivor t-shirt and pin, but were also greeted by Dorothy who gave them a small Dorothy figuring in her hot-air balloon flying home. It was truly a beautiful event and as always Salem captured the theme and ran with it!
The 2012 Salem Relay has already raised over $116,000 and it's chipping away at it's goal. If you'd like to make a donation and bring Hope to cancer patients everywhere please visit www.RelayForLife.org/SalemVA today.
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Until We Find a Cure
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