BY JILL TATGE-ROZELL
jrozell@kenoshanews.com
Stories of hope cut through the dismal rain at the onset of this year’s Relay for Life at Bullen Middle School, where more than a thousand people gathered to walk, undeterred, in an effort to raise money for cancer research.“Even though this weather stinks, cancer is worse,” co-chair Tracey Juga told the participants who crouched beneath umbrellas by threes, huddled under tents and donned ponchos.The statement drew applause and nods of agreement.“I’m certainly not going to grumble about walking in the rain,” said one woman, who didn’t want to be identified because she said the event was not about the individuals who are walking on behalf of others. “There are people who can’t be here to walk in the rain today because of cancer and survivors whose bodies have been through worse storms.”Those survivors, who include toddlers Hannah Basquez and Avery Garrison, both of Kenosha, walked the first lap of the event following the opening ceremony at 6 p.m. Both girls stamped their purple handprints on a survivor’s banner, which contains the names and dates each survivor diagnosed.“When you look at it you realize, ‘That is not a big hand,’“ said co-chair David Wilk. “There are big hands next to small ones. It touches everyone.”Hannah, 2, who was diagnosed with acute monoblastic leukemia in February 2008, wore a shirt her mother made that visually depicts with beads how many people cancer affects. Hanging from one sleeve are the names of children who died while Basquez was at Children’s Memorial Hospital. On the opposite arm are the names of the survivors.“Which is more, Thank God,” said her mother Vicki. “We got to know all of these families very well.”A string of beads that hangs from the back of Hannah’s shirt reads, “Cancer is behind me.”“We reached the one year mark, which is a big thing,” Vicki said. “When she was first diagnosed we didn’t know if she would make it to her first birthday.”Her first birthday was celebrated in the hospital. Her second birthday was celebrated in conjunction with the remission milestone.Avery also made her first Relay for Life steps this year. Others walked on her behalf last year while she was hospitalized. Avery was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic luekemia in January 2008. “The outpouring of support this event brings with it is beyond words,” her mother, Tiffany Garrison, said. “It is just so touching how all the people reach out to one another.” Tiffany and her husband Zach, said they have only lived in Kenosha a short time, which makes the willingness of others to help them even more amazing.“A lot of the people on the team don’t even know each other,” Tiffany said. “It was Avery who brought them together.”Eight-year-old Caleb Steffen, a co-chair of the event this year, told the crowd during the opening ceremonies that the hardest parts of the treatments he underwent for acute lymphocytic leukemia were “getting all the shots and staying in the hospital a long time.”“I hope in the future they might find a cure for cancer and a kid can just take a pill instead of having to go through all the things I did,” he said.Fellow honorary co-chair Jean Werbie decided to share a funny story with the crowd because she learned “how to laugh out loud,” especially at herself, during her fight against cancer.

During a sacrament for the anointing of the sick held for her in conjunction with her son Matthew’s confirmation at St. Anne Catholic Church in Pleasant Prairie, then Archbishop Timothy Dolan, unaware she was wearing a wig, rubbed his hands on her head, both moving the wig back and forth and getting his large ring stuck in it.

“For my 47th birthday, shortly after my diagnosis, my sister Marge gave me a necklace with three medals in it that read, ‘Live, Laugh, Love,” Werbie said. “I took those words to heart. It seemed to be a good way to approach my challenges.”

The 92 teams participating in the 14th annual Kenosha Relay for Life walked continuously through the night, keeping good their pledge to those who donated money to the cause. At 7:30 p.m. a special “Dude Looks Like a Lady,” event for male teammates was held, during which onlookers stuffed cash into the purses of those brave enough to cross-dress as they circled the track.

Closing ceremonies will take place at 8 a.m. today. Co-chair Jim McPaul said the goal is to raise $400,000 for cancer research, though donations have been down in recent years.

“We always set a pretty big goal with the hopes of meeting it,” Paul said. “We raised $351,000 last year.”