Relay pulls out all the stops

For Greg Richard, the journey is all too fresh; whereas for Gale Spell, the word was “surreal.”
For those that surrounded the stage at the opening of the 2015 Relay For Life of Acadia Parish Saturday evening, the night’s journey was a bit of both and coupled with the pair’s gut-wrenching stories, a little too real.
The event is really the big fundraiser for several teams that have spent the better part of a year planning for the night and holding fundraisers on their own. It also is a symbolic night as cancer never sleeps and calls on teams to go through those emotions just as a cancer patient would.
In the case of Richard, the speech gave Relay participants the chance to put a face to the funds they had been raising.
Since his cancer diagnosis in November, Richard has stared down chemo treatments (of which he has five remaining prior to surgery) and spent time at the Hope Lodge in New Orleans. The Hope Lodge provides lodging to cancer patients receiving treatment at no cost to the patient.
“That’s where your money goes,” he said. “I just want to thank everyone for supporting this cause.”
For Spell, she latched onto the word “surreal” to describe cancer. The family of nine (seven children) has had many rounds of cancer to face down.
“I grew up with cancer in my family,” she said.
Her sister saw a leukemia diagnosis when she four and survived four years. Her father was among those in her family who died from cancer — in his case lung cancer, his second round with the disease.
So, when she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer years ago, she took it head on. Spell is now four years cancer free and thanks God everyday for that fact.
“This God thing really works,” said Spell.
After the stories, ceremonies and entertainment continued into the night.
As is custom, the opening lap of the event was led by cancer survivors in attendance. The group was also treated to a jambalaya dinner, a T-shirt and other free items to show appreciation to them for their fight.
Entertainment for the evening was provided by Rice City Gymnastics then Le Sang LeJeune before they broke for a brief Zumba class with Simone Adams, a Rayne instructor, team captain and member of the Event Leadership Team.
Le Sang LeJeune graced the stage once more, including for a number with local legend Johnnie Allen, who returned later for a few more songs with TJ Gautreaux.
Gautreaux would provide more songs with his band later in the evening and The Gypsy Sticks provided the night’s musical finale.
Meanwhile, fun jumps and a dunking booth provided fun times for the children attending
All the while, teams walked the track, sold food and helped raise money for the American Cancer Society.
And raise money Relay participants did, as Acadia Parish has raised about $20,000 to date. Though the event is over, the Relay year is not and Relay For Life of Acadia Parish teams and organizers are still accepting donations through Aug. 31 for this year in an attempt to hit the parish’s $35,000 goal.
There were, of course, also moments in the event dedicated specifically to the fight against the disease, the Luminaria and Fight Back ceremonies, specifically, that honored those who had lost the fight and remember them as well as to commit to continue the fight against the disease and help make those diagnosed lives a little easier.
Always moving, the attendees that stuck around until 9 p.m. for the Luminaria Ceremony saw the emotional ceremony. As they gathered around the track and watched the lights in the bags flicker and torches shine, the ceremony looked to honor the fallen and provide a unique opportunity to truly remember them and look to others doing the same.
As the ceremony came to a close, the track refilled and everyone silently walked around the track looking upon the names and quietly remembering the stories behind each bag.
The track emptied again during the midnight hour for the Fight Back Ceremony. That ceremony calls for participants to pledge to help the fight, whether that is through fundraising or pledging to be screened for cancers or anything in between.
Then, after taking the pledge, the track once again filled.