DILLON – My name is Elizabeth DeMeyere and I am the new Community Manager for Relay For Life of Dillon County. I wanted to introduce myself and invite the Dillon County Community to both participate and experience Relay For Life of Dillon County as we plan for the 2016 Relay year. We have recently kicked off the 2016 Relay For Life season and are very excited to Paint your world PURPLE as a way to bring awareness to the community about cancer, prevention, programs and services. Unfortunately, cancer does not discriminate. Cancer can affect anyone at any time. The sad truth is cancer will touch everyone in their lifetime, be it through a grandparent, a parent, a sister, brother, mother, father, child or friend. I personally learned the hard way a little more than a year ago that cancer can touch anyone at any time. I was diagnosed with stage 2 melanoma while my husband was deployed, and I was home with two small kids trying to finish graduate school. I tell you this because I too have fought the fight, I too have heard those three scary words, “you have cancer” and I too believe we can beat this disease. However, it absolutely cannot be done without the support of our communities. We need your support in this fight, so that on a random day in the future, when my children, or yours, or anyone in this world hears those words, “you have cancer” they can close their eyes to sleep at night knowing that those who fought before them, fought for a cure, fought for hope, fought to finish the fight.
What is Relay For Life; it is the world’s largest fundraising movement where people come together to remember those who have lost their battle to cancer, honor those who have survived, recognize the caregivers who have supported the journey and to find our voice in the fight back. The 2016 event will be held May 21st at the Dillon Motor Racetrack from 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; with the goal of keeping at least one team member on the track at all times throughout the day, signifying that cancer never sleeps. Teams do most of their fundraising prior to the event, but some teams also hold creative fundraisers at their campsites throughout Relay.
In 2016, Relay For Life will take place in nearly 6,000 communities in the United States and 20 other countries around the globe raising funds to support the mission of the American Cancer Society to save lives by helping people stay well, by helping people get well, by finding cures, and fighting back. Relay For Life 2016 will be working to Paint Your World Purple as we fight back. We are inviting you to be a part of this movement so that we can work together to grow our world of survivors. If we had a dollar for every outburst directed at cancer, think of the lives we could save.
Please join us as we work to plan the 2016 Relay For Life of Dillon County. For more information about the upcoming Relay Meeting, please contact Elizabeth DeMeyere, Community Manager @ 704.806.0029 or Elizabeth. demeyere@cancer.org
Register today for Relay For Life of Dillon County today and help our community finish the fight against cancer! www.relayforlife.org/dillonsc

About the American
Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society is a global grassroots force of more than three million volunteers saving lives and fighting for every birthday threatened by every cancer in every community. As the largest voluntary health organization, the Society’s efforts have contributed to a 20 percent decline in cancer death rates in the U.S. since 1991, and a 50 percent drop in smoking rates. Thanks in part to our progress nearly 14 million Americans who have had cancer and countless more who have avoided it will celebrate more birthdays this year. As we mark our 100th birthday in 2013, we’re determined to finish the fight against cancer. We’re finding cures as the nation’s  largest private, not-for-profit investor in cancer research, ensuring people facing cancer have the help they need and continuing the fight for access to quality health care, lifesaving screenings, clean air, and more. For more information, to get help, or to join the fight, call us anytime, day or night, at 1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org.