1,100 Go Extra Mile to ‘Fight for a Cure”

By SYDNEY SMITH

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It’s been a long, often-painful road for Lindsey Hines.

After seven years, two grueling bouts with cancer (the second of which required a bone marrow transplant), a double lung transplant and a much-too-close encounter with “goodbye,” Hines, 25, took her first steps for Dubuque’s Relay for Life on Friday night as honorary chairwoman for the cancer-fighting event.

“It’s comforting to know that people make it,” Hines said as to why she accepted the honor. “We’re going to fight for a cure, no matter what, and that’s the main objective this year at the Relay for Life.”

Relay for Life, the annual “celebration of life,” saw another robust turnout over its 12-hour run, from Friday evening, until 6 a.m. today at Dalzell Field. The stadium filled with teams and individuals, all of whom had a common purpose: to celebrate cancer survivors, remember those lost to the disease and to come together to fight back.

The relay is one of the signature fundraisers for the American Cancer Society.

With a crowd of more than 1,100, participants began their night with a message from Hines at the opening ceremonies. Soon after that, state Reps. Pat Murphy, D-Dubuque, and Pam Jochum, D-Dubuque, were awarded certificates of appreciation for their work in helping to pass Iowa’s smoking ban. The law prohibits smoking in most public places, with the exception of casino floors.

Shontele Orr, a Relay co-chair, said the lawmakers’push for the ban was a “big win” for the American Cancer Society.

Following the ceremonies, Hines headed a celebratory first lap around the track, followed by all participating cancer survivors.

As the event strode toward dusk, the luminary ceremony began taking shape. Paper bags were lit up with candles in remembrance of those lost to cancer.

Following the luminary, Relay for Life hosted a fight back ceremony – the first one of its kind in the 12 years Dubuque has participated in the event. The ceremony emphasized the importance of preventing cancer by leading a healthy lifestyle and committing to regular check-ups.

Last year, the Dubuque relay raised approximately $130,000. The goal this year was set at $144,000 and only an hour into the event, the goal had been surpassed by more than $1,000.

Hines said the American Cancer Society was instrumental in helping her on many levels when she dealt with her battle with cancer.

“The more we can do to raise money, the closer we will be to finding the cure,” Hines said. “It’s so cool to just see all the survivors out there, to see all those people supporting something so good, to defeat something so horrible.”

Originally published by SYDNEY SMITH TH staff writer/sysmith@wcinetcom.

(c) 2008 Telegraph – Herald (Dubuque). Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.