Hello all! On May 18, 2001 we took our sons Ben and Joshua to participate in the Relay for Life (Sponsored by the American Cancer Society) at Frontier Town in Ocean City, MD. The weather was a bit chilly and dreary, but nothing could have prepared me for the warmth I would feel by being surrounded by others who have had such similar experiences to our own. There were adult and child survivors of every cancer imaginable at the event. Many, many adults were long-term survivors and some were just recently diagnosed. What struck me was that we all spoke a common language of "newness," and "awareness" of life and what it means to be alive. It felt marvelous to be encircled by a group of people who understood, innately, the journey we have been on this past year! The festivities began with an opening ceremony honoring the survivors present. Each individual's name was read allowed and the number of years they have survived cancer. We were sitting in the dining tent at the very beginning and Ben clapped dutifully for each individual (prompted, no doubt, by the clapping of others). It was very encouraging to hear of people surviving 20+ years post-cancer!! We can only pray to be so lucky!!!! There were two walks - one for adults and one for children. The adults took one lap on their own and for the second lap the caregivers and family were asked to walk together. It was a wonderful moment for the four of us to walk hand-in-hand and breathe a sigh of huge relief that we were still a family of FOUR! After the adult laps, the children had their turn. Ben was one of three child survivors at this relay. They were each asked to come up to the microphone and say, "My name is ......, I am a cancer survivor, come walk with me." The other children were around age 10, so they didn't have much trouble with this. Fearless Ben, however, strutted up to the microphone and declared, "I'm Ben, I'm Ben, walk Ben." With that the three child survivors were walking around their own lap holding up a banner between the three of them and followed by all of the healthy children in attendance. Ben was slower than the rest and when we urged him to speed up a bit (from the sidelines - bad parents!!!) he took off running ahead of the pack. He was cruising along at a fast jog the whole way and declared himself the winner. Our hearts soared!!! GO BEN. While the children walked, the announcer at the podium read the 107 names on Joshua's shirt. It was a great moment! After the walks, we were able to visit with a few people we knew, the children participated in all sort of carnival-style activities, and as the sun began to set the luminaries were set out around the track. We purchased a luminarie for Ben not knowing that there would already be one for him. It turned out well since both Ben and Josh would ultimately light one each. The children were all given small candles and then we were sent out to find Ben's name in alphabetical order while hymns like Amazing Grace were being sung. It was very moving to see the small candles emerging from the central gathering area and fanning out to find loved-ones. Some of the names were "In Memory" and other were "In Honor," but it didn't easily go unnoticed how many more bags were "In Memory." We reached our luminaries and were asked to observe a moment of silence in reflection. I had been doing well until that point but then the tears just started to flow. It was all so beautiful and tragic that we were gathered at this place in the glow of candlelight to pay tribute to life with this horrible disease lurking in the shadows. A long-term survivor saw my struggle for composure and gave me a hug saying that her prayers would be with us. I was so emotional that I just thanked her and failed to say that ours would be with her as well. Maybe that will count among the things that need not be spoken out loud at such an event?!? The festivities would last well into the wee morning hours (3 am, I think) as the teams made their (walking) laps around the track. We went home around 9pm and spent the night in our warm, DRY beds. Several times throughout the night I was awakened by pouring down rain and I couldn't help wonder how everyone was keeping warm and dry on the campground. I am sure there are many soggy tents and sleeping bags hanging about in basements and porches all over the Delmarva Peninsula! It is truly amazing what people are willing to endure in the interest of raising money to find a cure for cancer!!!! There will be another Relay for Life in Salisbury in mid-September for which we will be raising funds and we will be cheering Ben on as he walks the survivor lap on the anniversary of his transplant!!!!!! God willing, Ben will continue to be healthy. Thank you for allowing us to carry all of the names on Joshua's shirt - it was an amazing tribute both to them and to your commitment as parents to keep on FIGHTING!!!! Fondly, Hendrika