FUNDRAISING RELAY FOR LIFE IN PORTERVILLE

Community members gathered at Veteran’s Park to help raise funds at a Relay for Life event.

“This goes on every year… and everything that gets raised here goes back into the community… so the funds we raise for Porterville goes back into Porterville to help the people with cancer,” said cancer survivor, Joan.

Schools, organizations, and even the Porterville Police Department set up booths to help raise money and awareness for cancer treatment advances.

“We had police officers who have gone through cancer, so we’re selling our shirts and pink patches for the Porterville Police Department to raise money to give to the Roger S. Good Center here in the city of Porterville,” said Corporal Marcial Morales.

Cancer patients, cancer survivors, and their families walked and ran the path surrounding the park for the first time. For Debra Winters, a cancer survivor, this Relay for Life marked her 8th year participating.

“I was diagnosed with breast cancer four days before the first relay I ever went to. I came to relay only to find that I had more friends, more family, and more support than I have ever had in my entire life,” said Winters.

Every participant had a reason why they relayed. Some relayed to honor the memory of those they lost.

“I lost my father two years ago to Merkel Cell carcinoma. At the time of diagnosis, it was a 50% survival rate. We got another year out of him,” said Michelle Roberson. “The chemo he took was in trials at the time, we lost him during those trials, but with the test studies they’ve had with him, they’ve come up with better chemo that is fighting his cancer. So now Merkel cell carcinoma will not take anyone else out.”

The fight to stop cancer is over yet, but the end of the battle gets closer with every step taken at this Relay for Life.

“We need more survivors. Cancer is trying to take over, and we are going to beat it. We are going to beat it,” said Roberson.