Relay for Life in Less than 24 Hours

Relay for Life - What's in it for you?

I would like to keep all of you up to date with the progress of me and my team for the upcoming Relay for Life 24 hour walk for the American Cancer Society (July 24 - 25 in Fairview, PA). Thank you in advance for taking the time to read my post and for choosing to make a difference. I would like to thank you for your support, either through prayers, Facebook, or donations... All of these let me know that I am truly surrounded by some wonderful caring people.

I set my personal fundraising goal to $ 200 and so far, I am at 75% of the goal. I am hoping to reach my goal by this Friday. For more information about my progress or to make a donation to ACS go here: http://main.acsevents.org/goto/ellierepkova

As of now, our team membership increased to 8 members, and we are at 60% of our $ 1,000 goal.

The story of our team

This summer, three of my friends and I, decided to participate in RELAY FOR LIFE, a 24 hour walk to raise money for the American Cancer Society. We have less than two weeks to put our group together and raise money for the ACS ($1000 for our group is our goal).

Therefore, I have decided to write a note every day about cancer and our group, so that all of my friends would be informed about cancer and also about our group and why we are doing this. After reading these, I would like to ask you to consider doing one of the following (or all three):

1. Pray for our team (The Cancer Avengers) that we would find more people to join us and that we would be able to raise money for the American Cancer Society.

2. Make a donation to the American Cancer Society here ( even if you can give only $5, you will make a difference): http://main.acsevents.org/goto/ellierepkova

3. Join our team and walk with us on July 24th and 25th at Fairview High School!!! (feel free to e-mail me with any questions). Our team page is here: http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY09PA?pg=team&fr_id=16852&team_id=529131

4. Post a this link on your Facebook profile: http://main.acsevents.org/goto/ellierepkova

What is Relay for Life?

Relay For Life is the American Cancer Society’s signature activity. It offers everyone in a community an opportunity to participate in the fight against cancer. Teams of people camp out at a local high school, park, or fairground and take turns walking or running around a track or path. Each team is asked to have a representative on the track at all times during the event. Relays are an overnight event, up to 24 hours in length.

Teams of people from all walks of life have fun while raising much-needed funds to fight cancer and raise awareness of cancer prevention and treatment.

No matter who you are, there’s a place for you at Relay.

Relay For Life is a life-changing event that brings together more than 3.5 million people to:

• Celebrate the lives of those who have battled cancer. The strength of survivors inspires others to continue to fight.
• Remember loved ones lost to the disease. At Relay, people who have walked alongside people battling cancer can grieve and find healing.
• Fight Back. We Relay because we have been touched by cancer and desperately want to put an end to the disease.

There is not a required amount of money to raise in order to participate in Relay For Life. The American Cancer Society's recommendation is for each participant to set a personal goal to raise $100. If you raise more, that's even better. If you do not raise $100, you are still welcome to participate. We're glad to have you. The only requirement to participate in Relay For Life is the $10 registration/commitment fee (per person) that is due upon registration. Please verify the registration fee with your local office, as some Relays may differ. After that, anything you can raise through individual, team, or online fundraising is graciously accepted.


Philosophy – Why We Relay

The American Cancer Society Relay For Life represents the hope that those lost to cancer will never be forgotten, that those who face cancer will be supported, and that one day cancer will be eliminated.

Why Relay?

Relay For Life is more than just a fundraiser. It’s a life-changing experience. At Relay, every person in the community has a chance to celebrate, remember, and fight back. And every person who participates joins others around the globe as part of this worldwide movement to end cancer.

Everyone's reason to Relay is as unique as their own personal story. At Relay, you can find healing, comfort, and support from others who have faced cancer or who have lost a loved one to the disease. You have a chance to meet people in the community who are equally as passionate about finding an end to cancer in our lifetime. You can thank all the people who have done so much to support you through your personal cancer experience. And you can gather together with friends, family, and colleagues to laugh, cry, and create lasting memories.

No matter why you take part in Relay, however, one thing is clear: with every step you take, you are helping the American Cancer Society save lives. With your help, we aren’t just fighting one type of cancer – we’re fighting for every birthday threatened by every cancer in every community. Each person who shares the Relay experience can take pride in knowing that they are working to create a world where this disease will no longer threaten the lives of our loved ones or claim another year of anyone’s life.

The American Cancer Society

For every $10 you give to ACS:

$1.40 goes to cancer research

$2.00 will help teach people about a healthy lifestyle and cancer prevention

$2.00 will go to support a cancer patient and help him/her pay for medical bills

$1.60 will help diagnose people earlier and help fund treatment of cancer patients

$3.00 will help ACS with administration costs and also with running events such as the RELAY FOR LIFE


This summer, Molly, Danielle, Joe, Jason, and I, decided to participate in RELAY FOR LIFE, a 24 hour walk to raise money for the American Cancer Society. We have less than two weeks to put our group together and raise money for the ACS ($1000 as a group is our goal).

Therefore, I have decided to write a note every day about cancer and our group, so that all of my friends would be informed about cancer and also about our group and why we are doing this.

After reading these, I would like to ask you to consider doing one of the following (or all three):

1. Pray for our team (The Cancer Avengers) that we would find more people to join us and that we would be able to raise money for the American Cancer Society.

2. Make a donation to the American Cancer Society here ( even if you can give only $5, you will make a difference):

http://main.acsevents.org/goto/ellierepkova

3. Join our team and walk with us on July 24th and 25th at Fairview High School!!! (feel free to e-mail me with any questions). Our team page is here: http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY09PA?pg=team&fr_id=16852&team_id=529131

4. Post a this link on your Facebook profile:
http://main.acsevents.org/goto/ellierepkova


Today, I would like you to get to know the American Cancer Society better so that you know what you are supporting (or missing on).

The American Cancer Society was founded in 1913!!! That is almost 100 years ago!

The American Cancer Society (ACS) is the "nationwide community-based voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy and service."

The ACS is organized into thirtee geographical divisions of both medical and lay volunteers operating in more than 3,400 offices throughout the United States and Puerto Rico.[4] The National Home Office is located in the American Cancer Society Center in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Society was originally founded in 1913 by 15 physicians and businessmen in New York City under the name American Society for the Control of Cancer (ASCC).

The sword symbol, adopted by the American Cancer Society in 1928, was designed by George E. Durant of Brooklyn, New York.

ACS's activities:

providing grants to researchers
running public health advertising campaigns
organizing projects such as the Relay For Life, Great American Smokeout, Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, and Daffodil Days
operating a series of thrift stores to raise money for its operations

A 1994 study showed that the American Cancer Society was ranked as the 10th "most popular charity/non-profit in America" of over 100 charities researched with 38% of Americans over the age of 12 choosing Love and Like A lot for the American Cancer Society.

Relay for Life day 4

Today, I thought I would go in depth and tell you all about our group 'The Cancer Avengers'. We do need your support :)

Monday, July 13

Go to: http://main.acsevents.org/goto/ellierepkova

Molly, Theresa, Jason, and I officially decided to make a team and walk for 24 hours at Relay for Life in Fairview, PA. We actually wanted to sigh up about 4 weeks ago, but we always postponed everything... So we have less than 2 weeks to reach our group's fundraising goal of $1,000.
Jason is the team capitain and also the one responsible for our team name.

We all have friends and family members whose lives were affected by cancer in some way. Some of our family members and friends are battling cancer now, some of them lost their lives to it, some won over it. At any means, it is the feeling of not being able to help our loved ones that made us want to join and help at least this way.

Tuesday, July 14

Go to: http://main.acsevents.org/goto/ellierepkova

Theresa seems like she will not join us :(. So as of now, we have 3 members, which is not a lot. I think I sent e-mails to more than 100 people and received a donation from one. Still, it is a progress. Jason is e-mailing all of his friends on Facebook to post a link to his page on their profile... not a big success either. Molly has been e-mailing too.

Wednesday, July 15

Go to: http://main.acsevents.org/goto/ellierepkova

I have decided to e-mail via Angel all of my former classmates and all the members of the 5 student organizations I am in, asking them to either post a link to my personal page, to donate some money, or to join our group. All this was over 300 people getting my e-mails.

As of 7 pm it still seems like we will have only 3 members and Molly is telling me that our team should rather quit and join an existing team already... I don't like the diea, but I guess it is better than having a team of three.

Danielle comes for a visit in the evening and agrees to join our team, plus she also thinks another 4 of her friends will join us. Joe joins in shortly after Danielle.

As of now, our team has 5 members and we are at 14% of our fundraising goal :)

What is Cancer?

This summer, Molly, Theresa, Jason, and I, decided to participate in RELAY FOR LIFE, a 24 hour walk to raise money for the American Cancer Society. We have less than two weeks to put our group together and raise money for the ACS ($100 per person is our goal).

Therefore, I have decided to write a note every day about cancer, so that all of my friends would be informed about cancer and also about our group and why we are doing this.

After reading these, I would like to ask you to consider doing one of the following (or all three):

1. Pray for our team (The Cancer Avengers) that we would find more people to join us and that we would be able to raise money for the American Cancer Society.

2. Make a donation to the American Cancer Society here: http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY09National?px=12445555&pg=personal&fr_id=16852

3. Join our team and walk with us on July 24th and 25th at Fairview High School!!! (feel free to e-mail me with any questions). Our team page is here: http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY09PA?pg=team&fr_id=16852&team_id=529131



WHAT IS CANCER?

Cancer begins when cells in a part of the body start to grow out of control. There are many kinds of cancer, but they all start because of out-of-control growth of abnormal cells.

How a normal cell becomes cancer:

Normal body cells grow, divide, and die in an orderly fashion. During the early years of a person's life, normal cells divide faster to allow the person to grow. After the person becomes an adult, most cells divide only to replace worn-out or dying cells or to repair injuries.

Because cancer cells continue to grow and divide, they are different from normal cells. Instead of dying, cancer cells outlive normal cells and keep forming new abnormal cells. Another difference between cancer cells and normal cells is that cancer cells can invade (grow into) other tissues. Being able to grow out of control and to invade other tissues makes a cell a cancer cell.

Cells become cancer cells because of damage to DNA. DNA is in every cell and directs all its actions. Most of the time, when DNA gets damaged the cell can fix it. If the cell can’t repair the damage, the cell dies. In cancer cells the damaged DNA is not repaired, but the cell doesn’t die like it should. Instead, this cell goes on making new cells even though the body does not need them. These new cells will all have the same DNA damage as the first cell does.

People can inherit damaged DNA, but most of the time DNA damage is caused by something we are exposed to in our environment. Sometimes the cause of the DNA damage is something obvious, like cigarette smoking. But many times no clear cause is found.

A cancer cell has many mistakes in its DNA -- having damage in just one spot does not cause cancer. Even when someone inherits damaged DNA, more mistakes in their DNA are needed before a cancer will develop. Staying away from things that are known to damage DNA (like smoking) as a part of a healthy life style lowers the chance that more DNA damage will take place. This can reduce the risk of cancer -- even in people who have an inherited tendency to get cancer.

How cancers grow and spread:

In most cases the cancer cells form a tumor. Some cancers, like leukemia, do not form tumors. Instead, these cancer cells involve the blood and blood-forming organs and circulate through other tissues where they grow. But sometimes the extra cells in these blood cancers may also form a mass of tissue called a tumor.

Cancer cells often travel to other parts of the body, where they begin to grow and replace normal tissue. This process is called metastasis. It happens when the cancer cells get into the bloodstream or lymph vessels of our body.

But no matter where a cancer may spread, it is always named for the place where it started. For example, breast cancer that has spread to the liver is still called breast cancer, not liver cancer. Prostate cancer that has spread to the bone is metastatic prostate cancer, not bone cancer.

Not all tumors are cancerous. Tumors that aren't cancer are called benign. Benign tumors can cause problems -- they can grow very large and press on healthy organs and tissues. But they cannot grow into (invade) other tissues. Because they can't invade, they also can't spread to other parts of the body (metastasize). These tumors are almost never life threatening.

How cancers differ:

Different types of cancer can behave very differently. For example, lung cancer and breast cancer are very different diseases. They grow at different rates and respond to different treatments. That is why people with cancer need treatment that is aimed at their particular kind of cancer.

How common is cancer:

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. Nearly half of all men and a little over one third of all women in the United States will develop cancer during their lifetimes.

Today, millions of people are living with cancer or have had cancer. The risk of developing most types of cancer can be reduced by changes in a person's lifestyle, for example, by quitting smoking and eating a better diet. Often, the sooner a cancer is found and treatment begins, the better are the chances for living for many years.

Drowning in Debt - This Is Real

My attempts to exercise

This summer, before I came back to Erie, I made up this amazing schedule of things to do every day. Basically, I would get up every morning, do research, go to class, do research, eat dinner, study for GREs and then.... EXERCISE - meaning go running or go to the gym.

I have to laugh at these plans now, because, honestly, the only thing that is on schedule is me going to class... and then eating dinner. The rest is just sort of being thrown around as the days go by.

The first time I went to take a run, I met my friend Barb, who was walking her two dogs, and I basically spent the next thirty minutes walking with her (understand 'no running').

My amazing and funny roommate/apartment mate Molly and I decided that maybe it would be more motivating for the two of us if we exercised together. The first time we went to the gym, it all seemed to work out perfect. We got there, and got on those cool machines.... and then this guy came to announce to us that the gym was closing (understand 'no exercise').

Last night, Molly and I decided to take a walk instead of watching a movie. What an idea... Our walking went well as we got about half mile from our apartment. Then, all the sudden, it began raining and so we decided to return back, only to find ourselves sprinting the last couple yards to our apartment (understand 'no exercise again').

Now, the only thought I have is what will happen the next time we attempt to go for a run or for a walk? Maybe by the end of the summer, we will run out of all the possible 'disasters' that could happen and get some exercise :).