Most teams entered in Prince Rupert's Relay for Life are motivated to partake in the annual event after being affected with cancer, whether it meant having a family member or friend diagnosed with cancer or being diagnosed themselves.
While this is true for Ethan's Wheels, a 10-person team lead by Jamie Malthus, the group also say they enjoy participating in the event because it's a fun way to get family and friends together while supporting anyone who has been affected by the disease.
"It's a fun event for a good cause," Cherie Malthus, Jamie's wife, said.
Jamie has been involved with the Relay for Life for seven years now, starting his volunteering for the event in Kitimat.
"It actually started off as a competition between a group of friends, girls versus guys to see which one could raise the most. From there it became part of our annual activities," Jamie.
"When I moved here I continued on, and became an executive for the relay here in Prince Rupert."
Jamie, Cherie and their family first entered a team in Prince Rupert's Relay for Life four years ago after Cherie's grandmother was diagnosed with lung cancer. Although she passed away two years ago, the team still enters annually to honour her.
"Now we just do it in memory of her, and for other friends and family who have had cancer. We, as a group, look forward to it every year," said Cherie.
The first year the family entered the relay, family-friend Michelle Ryan really drove herself to raise as much money as possible, collecting approximately $6,500 that year. While Michelle is in a wheelchair, she managed to gather all that money entirely by herself. Cherie said Michelle has no fear when it comes to fundraising, and it helps that she knows a lot of people.
While Michelle being in a wheelchair makes it difficult for her to fundraise to the extent she did that first year, she has already reached her fundraising goal for this year's relay.
Michelle won't be there this year because she has prior commitments, but her mother Mary Ryan will be walking in her place at the June 1 event. In past events, despite not being able to go long distances, Michelle has always participated by doing laps around the track.
Michelle will still be making her way around the Prince Rupert Middle School track prior to the event, estimating she will complete about three laps.
"She does her laps for the relay, and it's pretty tough on her but she does it... It's a lot of work for her to get around that track," Cherie said.
While they are going by Ethan's Wheels this year, the team has changed its name each year they've participated in Prince Rupert's event, honouring various foods Cherie's grandmother was good at cooking.
"We use to call my grandma 'nan', so we've called ourselves Nan's Bananas, Nan's Cookies, Nan's Turkeys... Anything that she use to like to cook," Cherie said.
This year's team name comes from Jamie and Cherie's baby boy's name — Ethan came down to the relay last year for his first time. "Wheels" comes from the fact that high fundraising team member Michelle is in a wheelchair, but still contributes greatly to her team.
Ethan's Wheels consists of Jamie, Cherie, Michelle, Mary, Leslie Bateman, Tom and Blanche Harvey, Russell and Leanne Malthus and Brenda Winsor. The team is aiming to raise $2,500 at this year's Relay for Life in Prince Rupert.
The 2013 relay will take place at the Prince Rupert Middle School track on Saturday, June 1.