TRINITAS PARTICIPATES IN AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY'S 2006 RELAY FOR LIFE
Trinitas Comprehensive Cancer Center was a Flagship Sponsor of the 2006 Relay For Life, an annual signature event of the American Cancer Society. Relay for Life Flagship Sponsors assist the American Cancer Society in raising funds to reach the goal in the year 2015 of saving 5 million lives by reducing cancer mortality by 50% and cancer incidence by 25%. All funds raised will be applied locally to cancer research, advocacy, education, and patient services.

This year's Union County Relay For Life took place at the Roselle Park High School sports field. It began Saturday night, June 3rd at 6pm and continued until 8am Sunday. Many members of the Trinitas Center staff participated in this event by raising funds and assisting on the day of the event. A number of patients undergoing cancer treatment at Trinitas joined in as well.

The program began at sundown with a "survivor walk" - a lap around the track field that symbolizes the first diagnosis of cancer and the beginning of a patient's journey. The darkness of night represented the treatment and the relay, the walk through surviving. The rising sun and the victory lap in the morning represented the victory of survivorship over cancer. Many participants stayed through the night, but everyone was welcome to come for even just a few hours to show their support.

Relay For Life is a grassroots, community-based event where hundreds of volunteers including caregivers, cancer survivors, friends and families will come together as teams in an overnight celebration of life and cancer survivorship. Teams (formed in honor or in memory of someone who has battled cancer), camped out, danced, and took turns running or walking around a track "relay" style to raise funds to fight cancer.

As a note of interest, Relay For Life began in 1985 with one man who walked and ran around a track for 24 hours raising $27,000. This year the event took place in more than 4,500 communities across the country and was expected to raise well over $300 million. In Union County alone, in 2005, approximately 40 teams and over one thousand participants came together to raise nearly $200,000 for the Union Relay.