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Truckee-Tahoe Relay for Life | Friends, survivors and family walk the walk

Pat Callahan
Special to the Sun
Courtesy Lloyd CarlsonLuminaria bags glow in honor of surviviors and in memory of those who have lost their battle with cancer during the Truckee Tahoe Relay for Life.
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TAHOE/TRUCKEE, Calif. and#8212; On July 14 at 9 a.m., 30 teams, patients, survivors, friends and family gathered to begin the 6th Truckee-Tahoe Relay For Life. After the opening ceremonies, the 60 survivors were recognized from their date of diagnosis to the number of years they have been cancer free. The range was from a few months to more than 35 years. The first lap around the track was the survivor lap, and the second lap was for caregivers. After that, the teams began to walk.

Each team is required to have one person on the track during the 24-hour event. At different hours during the day the walkers would join in a chosen team theme lap which could be different dance movements, games, walking backwards, etc. Everyone enjoyed the fun, camaraderie, and the spirit of walking for a common cause. Also, local bands performed, and the music kept the walkers and#8220;moving on downand#8221; the track.

While teams were walking, the luminary bags were being decorated, marked with a name, and placed around the field. Each bag represents a patient, a survivor, or one who has lost the fight with cancer. At dusk, the candles in the bags were lit, and the Luminary ceremony began. At the end of the ceremony there was a silent lap, and the names of all were scrolled and also read.The teams continued their walking until the following morning when the Closing Ceremonies began.



The Relay For Life is a 24-hour walk, because cancer never sleeps. This is a fund raiser for the American Cancer Society, and supports their patient care programs, educational programs, and research endeavors. To date, the Truckee Tahoe Relay has raised $64,000. Donations can be made until Aug. 31. More information may be obtained at relayforlife.org/truckee or on the Facebook page Relay For Life Truckee-Tahoe.

The Relay committee would like to thank all who helped to make this event a huge success: The sponsors, the bands, the volunteers, and all the teams. We could not have done this without you.


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