While my mom is not a cancer survivor, she is a significant reason I first became involved with Relay for Life, as she had always instilled the significance of giving back to the Canadian Cancer Society through her experience with gestational trophoblastic disease. She had spent a lot of time at the Cancer Centre here in St. Johns while undergoing chemotherapy, experiencing first hand the importance of the Canadian Cancer Society.

Currently, I relay for my grandmother who is a breast cancer survivor, along with my many friends who have been impacted by this disease. I relay because with nearly half of Canadians expected to be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime everybody knows somebody. Now more than ever we have to work together to help change the future of this disease, by providing a national support system, shaping health policies, and funding groundbreaking research through our support of the Canadian Cancer Society.

Please help us reach our committee fundraising goal this year of $120,000 in honour of MUN's 20th Relay for Life event. If we can reach this goal it will set the record for the most MUN has ever fundraised! I have set my personal fundraising goal this year to $700 which is the amount it costs to send a child with cancer to Camp Goodtimes, a medically-safe summer camp fully funded by the Canadian Cancer society that allows kids with cancer to just be kids! Any support on my fundraising journey is greatly appreciated No matter how much you donate, every dollar goes a long way. A donation of $25, $50 or $100 could help ensure a team of researchers has the resources they need to make a life-changing discovery, or a patient has access to support services when they need it most.

Think about the impact we can make together!