More than one million dollars raised at PEC Relay over past five years

When the sun came up Saturday morning, participants in the fifth annual Relay for Life event learned that more than one million dollars ($1,012,000) has been raised over the past five years in Prince Edward County.

The $172,552.32 tally for this year was revealed as the amount raised by more than 500 participants in the 12-hour fundraiser at the Picton fairgrounds.

Five-year-old cancer survivor Ella Mulder, of Bloomfield kicked off the evening by ringing the ‘Fight Back’ bell to signal the start of the Survivor lap. There were 120 people wearing their yellow survivor T-shirts as they complete the evening’s first lap to applause and cheers, and some tears.

Mulder was diagnosed last summer with Wilms tumour on her kidney. Following endless treatments and hospital visits she is now doing well.

Tina Rutgers with Lynn Johnson

Lynn Johnson’s journey started in 2011, days before her wedding when she was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer. Instead of a honeymoon, she had a radical mastectomy and following a year of treatment, had to have a second mastectomy.

“I have amazing family and friends and a group of strong women who never left my side. They were there through every moment,” Johnson told relay attendees. “Cancer comes in many forms, with many outcomes… You stand up, you fight and you never give up.”

It is the survivors and the supporters who fuel Victoria Hoskin’s career path as a cancer researcher.

“Thanks to events like this, those that are young and old, healthy and sick and those who are cancer survivors – the thrivers out there – without your help, the goal of cancer researchers could never be reached.”

Hoskin, a Queen’s University student in the department of pathology and molecular medicine, whose research focuses on trying to identify breast cancer patients who are at higher risk of the cancer spreading to different parts of the body.

“We have made tremendous advancements but our work is not done.”

JUNE 7 – When the sun came up Saturday morning, the 12-hour Relay for Life campaign 2014 ended with the reveal of $172,552.32 raised by Prince Edward County. Over the past five years, the community has contributed more than one million to the Canadian Cancer.
JUNE 6 – A shooting star burst into the night sky at the Picton Fairgrounds Friday while hundreds of Relay for Life participants lit luminaries and listened to the piper play Amazing Grace. The fifth annual event to raise funds for the Canadian Cancer Society continues overnight with themed laps, activities and entertainment.