STARKVILLE — An old Swedish proverb dictates a joy shared is twice the joy and a sorrow shared is half the sorrow.
Such was the prevailing sentiment at the Oktibbeha County Relay For Life, where hundreds turned out to celebrate those who have survived cancer and remember those who did not.
The event, which began Friday evening and concluded Saturday morning, raised a record $102,000, which goes to the American Cancer Society for research, advocacy, education and patient assistance programs.
More than 30 groups participated in the event, each raising money through a variety of methods, including sales of burgers, barbecue, baked goods and crafts of all types. Many of the groups had raffle items. And the event featured a dunking booth and games of all types.
First Baptist Church Longview raised $1,200 with toilets. Two toilets, each wrapped in fabric and adorned with ribbons and flowers, were on display at the church’s tent.
“We put them in people’s yards,” Pastor Larnzy Carpenter said, “and you have to pay $25 to have them removed.”
In an event filled with fun, food, music and fellowship, the Relay for Life had poignant moments, too.
The Relay started with a “Survivor’s Lap” around the relay course, with a group of about 50 survivors participating. Fourteen-year-old Matt Hutchinson was out front in his motorized wheelchair. Stricken with brain cancer at age 3, Hutchinson spent 18 months at St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis.
Hutchinson threatened to leave the rest of the procession behind, but was instructed to stop and let the rest of the group catch up by his grandmother, Pam Salmon.
“He kept telling me, ‘Hey, I don’t have rear-view mirrors, you know.'” Salmon said, laughing.
“He’s a huge NASCAR fan,” added Hutchinson’s mother, Audrey. “He thinks it’s a race.”
If it was a race, no one bothered to inform Dr. Thomas Parvin, who brought up the rear of the procession and narrowly avoided being lapped by the hard-charging Hutchinson.
“Hey, I’m old,” said Parvin, whose three young granddaughters accompanied him. “I don’t walk as fast as I used to.”
Parvin’s connection with cancer spans both his personal and professional life. A cancer surgeon and founder of the Oktibbeha County Hospital Center for Breast Health and Imaging, Parvin is a twice-recovered cancer victim, surviving kidney cancer in 1992 and prostate cancer three years ago.
“Getting treatment early, that’s the key,” said Parvin, who has long been a major sponsor of the Relay for Life.
Shortly before 11 p.m. the lights were dimmed and the venue was illuminated by 515 luminaries and 33 torches, which lined the relay course, each representing a friend or family member whose battle with cancer had been lost.
Friends and family stood near the luminary of their lost loved one, some weeping quietly in the arms of family members, others standing stoically, heads bowed, as event co-chairman Brian Hawkins read the names of each of the deceased cancer victims.
Through laughter and tears, joys multiplied and sorrows shared, co-chairman Barbara Foster declared the Relay a resounding success.
“We’re ecstatic. We’re doing cartwheels,” said Foster, noting the $102,000 shattered the previous fundraising record of $89,000 and was $26,000 more than was raised last year. “The community support we had was just unbelievable.”
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