The annual CANSA Relay for Life (RFL) was held last Friday on the B field at Mbombela Stadium.
This year, the weather played along and despite load-shedding, the event continued for the full 12 hours. A special midnight lap was held in honour of those who had lost their lives to the disease.
This gave those who could not spend the full 12 hours on the field, the opportunity to participate in this special ceremony.
As always, the relay was kicked off with a survivors’ lap, honouring those who are in remission. One of the more than 50 survivors who participated was Sean Adlem, a grade seven pupil of Laerskool Nelspruit. He had completed his cancer treatment the week before. This was followed by the caregivers’ lap, during which those who support and care for survivors were honoured for their selfless work.
During the luminaria ceremony, candles were lit and placed in special white bags decorated with photos of loved ones. A seven-time cancer survivor, Lindiwe Ntuli-Tloubatla, shared her special story during this ceremony and the beautiful voice of Natascha C provided the perfect background.
“The survivors’ lap and the luminaria ceremony always bring a tear to my eye,” said Maria Scholtz, head of sustainability at CANSA Nelspruit. “This year we placed our luminaria bags in remembrance of Sr Rona Labuschagne who served the Lowveld community for 30 years.”
The CANSA Lowveld team, with Discovery, provided free health assessments from its team tents.
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Discovery provided free screenings for glucose, cholesterol, and blood pressure as well as BMI and HIV testing. The HIV tests were performed by a professional wellness specialist, who also provided HIV counselling before and after the tests.
The CANSA Tough Living with Cancer (TLC) volunteer team supplied information and support to families affected by the disease, and relayers donated blood at the SANBS tent.
CANSA’s TLC programme focuses on raising awareness of the different types of cancer affecting children or teens, and the importance of early detection and providing tangible, loving support to youth and families affected by the disease.
Children and teens diagnosed with cancer or affected by it (in other words if a relative suffers from it) are supported. The team was happy to be a part of the RFL to raise awareness for this programme.
CANSA offered the opportunity for participants to spray their hair with funky colours or shave their heads in support of the organisation.
At 06:00 on Saturday the teams walked the last lap of the 2020 event, and also the first lap towards the 2021 event. It was evident that, together, the community is making a difference in the fight against this disease and giving those affected by it the opportunity to hope for a world without cancer.
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