3 months ago when I decided to participate in Relay for Life, I had no idea what to expect. The event itself sounded cool, but I mainly focused on raising money. I wanted to do this for my Grandpa, my friend Alan, my uncle John, and my recently diagnosed Dad. I wanted to do this for everyone I knew who had suffered so much at the hands of this awful disease. What I didn’t know was how much fun it would be.
I knew hanging out with work friends would be great, but the event itself was a trip. Considering the Mount Pleasant edition is only in its second year, I was impressed. Between the cross-dressing “Miss Less” pageant and the Office Space-inspired fax machine smashing, it was hard to tell we were at a serious fundraising event. Kilts, night volleyball, kids running everywhere…it was extremely exciting and fun. I’ll post more pics later, but here are some to get started.
I should have focused on the fact that we may have cleared $80,000 $85,000 for the event (Mount Pleasant didn’t even crack $30k last year). I should have focused on the survivors in attendance. I should have focused on all the lives that are affected each year by this nasty beast. But except for the silent luminaries lap at 10 p.m., I mostly tried to have fun. I focused on my friends as we shared cancer-related stories from our own lives and contributed to this amazing event. Is that wrong? I don’t think so.