The office of the Northern View comes to life as Amy Stacey, Amy Wakelin and their children arrive to discuss the upcoming Relay for Life.
As the young ones bury their heads into books, the two Amys quickly unravel a Jazzy Dragons banner covered with names written in different colours of ink and different handwriting.
“Last year our team put down the name of everyone they were relaying for. There were some people who didn’t win their fight with cancer, which have the dates below them, and some who did win or are still fighting,” explains Wakelin.
“We have some more names to add this year. Unfortunately those names will have dates,” notes Stacey.
Anyone who sees the banner can instantly connect with why Rupertites come out en-masse to the Relay for Life year after year. It’s a solemn reminder of what cancer is capable of and how far it reaches. Both Stacey and Wakelin have lost loved ones to cancer — for Stacey that list includes a grandfather, great uncles and a friend’s husband while Wakelin notes her grandfather passed away when she was just 10. But looking around the small confines of the conference room, both ladies say the Relay for Life is about more than supporting those involved in the battle and honouring those who have passed away.
“For me it is about being able to talk about it with my daughter. She asked me recently what would happen if she got cancer ... so this is to show her what people are doing and she is actually on the team this year,” said Wakelin.
“We don’t want them to have to not have to fight the fight when they get older,” added Stacey, noting her friend’s husband left behind four children when he lost his battle with cancer.
In just their second year in the relay, both Amys have found themselves on the organizing committee of the Relay for Life. As well as looking for activities to keep kids entertained and busy while their parents make their way around the track, the two say it is important to support such an important community event.
“It really puts into perspective how many people are affected by it, how many people are touched by it and how many people have battled and won. It really puts everything into perspective ... It is a great cause. Cancer is something we can hopefully put an end to for the next generation,” said Stacey.
“We stayed out there for almost the full 12 hours last year and it was humbling. In the last half hour when they lit the luminaries and everyone walked together, it was quite incredible. We had one member of our team who fought cancer and won and another who lost her partner, so it was very emotional ... For me it’s the community aspect. You have young people, you have older people, you have people who have been directly affected and people who haven’t been directly affected. You have this whole group of people coming together with the one goal in common,” added Wakelin.
The Prince Rupert 2015 Relay for Life will take place on Saturday, May 30 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. at Prince Rupert Middle School.
You can donate to Jazzy Dragons following the links at Prince Rupert’s online Canadian Cancer Society Relay for Life page at http://convio.cancer.ca/site/TR?fr_id=18426&pg=entry.