‘I pray that cancer, one day, will just be a bad word.’Oxford resident John Fidler’s prayer was one shared by all who participated over the weekend in the 4th Annual Oxford Relay for Life.
This year’s 24-hour relay event, held at the OHS track, raised $44,069 for the American Cancer Society’s research and education efforts.
An emotional rollercoaster is probably the best way to describe one of these events.
There were plenty of tears, hugs, heartfelt words, silent moments and somber faces.
‘You guys have all left an incredible handprint one way or the other on each other and on me,? said Fidler, who’s 34-year-old wife, Lori, died March 31 after a yearlong battle with breast cancer that me tastasized to her lungs.
But not all of the event was serious and solemn. There was also laughter, joy, playfulness and outright wacky behavior (i.e. the Mr. Relay Contest) that could only come from a genuine zest for living.
‘Relay. One day, one night, one community. It’s about celebration, remembrance and hope,? said Kim Beardsley, who chaired the Luminaria Ceremony. ‘We are turning our sorrows into celebration. And converting our loss into action.?
Beardsley appropriately described the Luminaria Ceremony as ‘one of the most emotional and touching parts of the Relay.?
‘It is the one moment where everyone is reflecting upon what brought him or her here,? she said.
A total of 485 white paper bags illuminated by candles and adorned with photos, names, dates and drawings lined the quarter-mile track.
Each represented someone who lost their battle with cancer, is still fighting the disease or is now a survivor.
‘All of our candles are lit because we have been affected by cancer,? said Beardsley, noting the light represents our love. ‘It burns for others to see, but it burns brightest in our hearts and in our souls.?
During the Luminaria Ceremony, all the relay participants gathered together and walked a silent lap around the track.
Only the sound of ‘Amazing Grace? played on the bagpipes could be heard echoing through the cool night air as the crowd looked at the bags and read the names. Some held hands. Some hugged. Some cried. All remembered.
Fidler’s love for his late wife could be heard in his voice as he struggled to hold back the tears and find the words to tell the crowd his story.
Ten years ago, Fidler proposed to Lori by riding up to her on a horse while wearing a full suit of shiny medieval armor.
When he found out she only had two weeks to live, Fidler asked his brother to find him another suit of armor.
‘I walked along the hallway in armor, in the hospital, to tell her that everything that I’d been through, everything that she’s been through, I’d do it all over again,? he said.
Because of his and his late wife’s strong faith in God, Fidler told the crowd, ‘I will actually be able to dance with my wife again.?
‘And you will be able to dance with your family members again,? he said.
To those currently battling cancer, Fidler said, ‘You will persevere one way or the other.?