Relay for Life

Last night I had the honor and privilege of walking in the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life at Madison Academy with my co-workers. The theme this year was "Bright Lights, Big Cure," so we formed a school team named "The Misfits" after an old Marilyn Monroe movie. We all come from different backgrounds and are all a little bit different from each other, so we felt this title fit our group perfectly! Here are most of the walkers--we took this picture at the end of the school day on Friday, and some teachers had already "walked" right out of the building! Ha-ha, don't you love my clever pun?!


This is one of my 1st grade neighbor teachers, Nakita Adams, and her best friend, LaTasha Webster, who has diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004. She is now in complete remission! YEA!!!!!

One of my best friends, Laura, and me at our 2nd place tent. My students think we are sisters! What do you think?

Some of my fellow teachers. Jennifer, Karen, me, Jamie, and Nakita

Laura and Mary Brown. Mary is a Caregiver to her husband, Dwight, who is now retired from teaching at our school. They were the "Dynamic Duo" when they were both teaching! He has been fighting lung cancer for several years now, and is presently undergoing treatment here in Huntsville. To the left of Laura is Mary and Dwight's daughter, Amber, who is about to graduate from Sparkman High School.

Even though we had lots of fun hanging out and walking around the track, there was an underlying sense of sadness in the air. One of our co-workers, Teisha Elkins, lost her dear husband, Neil, to leukemia on March 1. We started this team in an effort to honor his battle with the dreaded disease, but he was called home to Heaven before he could see what great support he had!

I was present during the Luminary Lighting which was extremely emotional as well. You could purchase a luminary in honor or in memory of a loved one who had been stricken with cancer. When they lit the luminaries, they read a sweet poem written by a cancer survivor and sang "Amazing Grace." I don't think there was a dry eye on that football field!!

I just hope that we can help fund cancer research so that my two beautiful children do not have to suffer the effects of this awful disease! My family has already had its share of cancer: My daddy has fought cancer of the soft palate, his brother lost his battle to pancreatic cancer, his sister battled breast cancer, my Granny survived breast cancer only to be stricken with lymphoma 10 years later and go to Heaven, my mom's brother died of a brain tumor.

I am very grateful every day for mine and my family's health!!!!