Goal: 100 cancer survivors to unite and help send message of hope

By STEPHANIE PORTER-NICHOLS/Staff

100 pennies equal a dollar. 100 consecutive years create a century. 100 percent correct on a test earns its taker an A+. 100 Smyth County cancer survivors each raising $100 for the American Cancer Society would add $10,000 to the Relay for Life fund-raising tally, but while Angie Osborne’s goal begins with numbers, ultimately it focuses more on the message of hope those numbers could send.
Survivors, said Osborne, who has worked with Relay for Life since it began in Smyth County in 2001, “to me that’s why we’re there.”
Reflecting on the Survivors Walk that kicks off the annual team-oriented event designed to raise awareness of cancer and funds for research, Osborne said it’s affirming to observe the survivors walking the Marion Senior High School track surrounding by family, friends, teammates and community supporters cheering them on. With a nod to early detection and evolving treatments, she’s even more gratified to see many of the same faces returning each year to make the lap. However, she acknowledges that not everyone survives to make another lap.
The reality of cancer’s devastating toll is something she knows well. Osborne’s father was first diagnosed with multiple myeloma, then lung cancer and finally colon cancer. “He struggled. He fought,” said Osborne. Then, she added, “He passed away in 1990.”
A medical lab technician at Smyth County Community Hospital, Osborne also has worked with cancer patients for years. “When you’ve been through it personally, you know how the family feels – helpless.”
Osborne particularly worries about individual cancer patients who don’t have family or faith.
She credits her friend and then SCCH co-worker Regina Davidson with connecting her passion for helping people with cancer and the potential for Relay after reading about the initial local efforts.
In the beginning, SCCH had a small team, but it has grown over the years. The 2010 team has 25 members. Osborne speaks with gratitude for SCCH leadership and employees for supporting the team and Relay.
Osborne acknowledges that coordinating a Relay team and raising the related funds take time and work. She’s helped with many bake and yard sales and other fundraisers. Yet, she emphasized, “We have a good time.”
The camaraderie is part of what she’d like a 100-member survivor team to experience. She noted that survivors are supportive of each other. “It would be awesome to walk together as a survivor team.” For survivors who aren’t able to walk, she said, the team will help them find an appropriate way to circle the track. “It’s all about them,” she said.
Survivors, according to Osborne, range from the newly diagnosed to individuals who are 25- or 30-year-plus survivors.
Earlier this week, Osborne said she had 22 people signed up. While she’s still hopeful for this year, she said, the goal will still be in place for the 2011 Relay. She hopes survivors will unite to help the American Cancer Society achieve its goal of finding a cure for cancer.
To join the 100-member survivor Relay for Life team, an individual needs to contact Osborne with his/her name, address, and T-shirt size and a commitment to raise $100. She may be reached at 276-677-3367 or ajo1002@embarqmail.com. She noted one strategy to raise $100 is to fill a 16-oz. soft drink bottle with dimes.
Osborne’s message to potential team members was straightforward: “It’s all about them.” And, “just call me.”

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