This weekend at Marengo County’s annual Relay for Life event, cancer survivors and other compassionate volunteers will gather to share hope, inspiration and strength with others in our community who have been affected by cancer.

“What cancer cannot do. Cancer is so limited, it cannot cripple love, it cannot shatter hope, it cannot corrode faith, it cannot destroy peace, it cannot kill friendship, it cannot suppress memories, it cannot silence courage, it cannot invade the soul, it cannot steal eternal life, cannot conquer the spirit,” author unknown.

The American Cancer Society’s national fundraiser, Relay for Life, is an event of celebration for those who have survived cancer, and a memorial for those who have lost their lives to the disease.

The Relay for Life event was also started by the ACS to raise funds to increase local awareness of cancer through community education and service.

The ACS Relay for Life fundraiser was also created by the organization to provide aid for researchers seeking to find a cure for the disease, and to fund efforts in cancer prevention.

“I am a cancer survivor and have been working on it for many years. Cancer does things to your mind, not just your body. If people hadn’t been working on cancer for so many years, I wouldn’t be here. I am hoping we have a good turnout,” Melvin Yelverton, Relay for Life chair, said.

The cancer survivors taking part in the event this weekend will be formally honored during the fundraiser, and will also be given a sash and t-shirt.

The participants of the event who have survived cancer will initiate the beginning of the relay by leading the first lap of the walk.

“If you need proof that we are making great strides in the fight against cancer, all you need to do is look at the many survivors walking on that track,” Melvin Yelverton, Relay for Life chair, said.

Bryan W. Whitfield Memorial Hospital is a title sponsor for the Marengo County Relay for Life event this year.

“Although this week is for the employees, we are really pushing for the public to come out for Relay for life,” Chrissy Brooker, BWWMH public relations director, said.

Marengo County’s Relay for Life event will start today at 6:00 p.m. and will be held in river field at Demopolis City Landing.

ACS is the second largest private source of non-profit research funding for cancer in the United States.

More information about the ACS and Relay for life can be obtained by contacting the organization at telephone number 1-800-227-2345, or by visiting the organization’s website at www.cancer.org.