Today’s post is from MMRC member Stefanie Seligman:

In September of 2001, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. The following month my father was diagnosed with third-stage melanoma, and a few years after that I lost my grandmother to pancreatic cancer. All of this was extremely hard, but our worst nightmare struck March 4, 2009, when my 17-year-old daughter, Amber, was diagnosed with second-stage Hodgkin’s lymphoma. My own fight with cancer was much easier to handle than watching my little girl fight for her life. What cancer didn’t know is that it attacked the wrong body. Amber has fought like a true warrior and, along with my father and me, she is now a survivor. (To read more about Amber’s journey, you can visit www.caringbridge.org/visit/ambercoe.)

Relay for Life has become a very special event for our family. For us, it’s a time to celebrate and a time to remember. Last year, when I took to the track with my daughter to walk the Survivor’s Lap, tears just freely rolled down my face. When I looked at Amber I could see in her eyes both fear and bravery. By Relay last year, she had completed two rounds of chemo and had attended the prom in a wig. At that exact moment, Amber became my hero. Later that night, we were all asked to clear the track as the luminary ceremony started, and I was overwhelmed by the solemn overtone of what those candles meant. I was humbled and frightened by seeing so many reminders of those who had earned their wings. Losing one night of sleep was a tribute to not just Amber, but to all of the warriors who have fought the battle against a disease that never sleeps.

Here are a few childhood cancer statistics:

• Each school day, 46 children are diagnosed with cancer.
• One in 330 children will develop cancer by age 20.
• Each year in the U.S. more than 12,600 children are diagnosed with cancer.
• Although the 5-year survival rate is steadily increasing, one-quarter of children diagnosed with cancer will die 5 years from the time of diagnosis.
• Cancer remains the number-one disease killer of America’s children—more than cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, asthma, and AIDS combined.
• 80% of children have metastatic disease at time of diagnosis, compared with only 20% of adults.
• There are currently more than 270,000 childhood cancer survivors in the U.S.
• Late effects of childhood cancer treatment are common in survivors, and approximately one-third are moderate to severe.

We would be honored to have you join us at Rockingham County’s Relay for Life on Friday, May 14, at Freedom Park in Eden. The event starts at 6:00 p.m. and will end at 8:00 a.m. Saturday morning. Our team, Amber’s All Stars, is on the American Cancer Society’s website: http://main.acsevents.org/goto/Ambersallstars. Donations and luminaria purchases can be made up to the day of the event. We would love to have you join our team, or just simply show your support by hanging out on the track with us. We have a campsite that will be decorated with “Amber’s All Stars” signs and lots of gold ribbon. Gold is the color for childhood cancer. There will be bands playing most of the night and games for all ages. We had so much fun last year! I believe that one of our team members won the mechanical bull-riding contest and the balloon run! We’ll also have a sign-up sheet for walkers so that we always have someone from our team on the track.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email or call me. My email addresses are sseligman@bankofnc.com and stefaniecheermom@yahoo.com and my home phone number is 336-548-7678.

To my fellow MadMayonites and other running/non-running buddies, I found this quote from the Bible shortly after Amber was diagnosed and I’d like to share it you:

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives a prize? Run in such a way that you win. 1 Cor: 9:24

Thank you so much for your support!

Many Joyful Runs and Happy Feet,

Stefanie Seligman, A Proud New Member of MMRC