I think it was 2001 when I first Relayed for Life. Relay for Life being the wellknown overnight walking fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. An annual event that takes place in gymnasiums, on football fields, and in parks across the country, in an effort to raise money to fight cancer.

Anyone who has Relayed will tell you, you don't forget that first one. The memories made staying up all night with your friends and family, the energy that swells when the Survivors take their honor lap, or the feeling that comes over you when darkness sets and the lights of the memorial luminaria are lit around the track.

For me, the first few years that I walked were fun, and it felt good to give back, but it didn't really connect with me until 2005 when I lost my someone to cancer myself. Relaying became personal after that.

My great grandpa, my Papa Nick, was not the last person I would lose to cancer. Over the years cancer has taken many lives around me, including my grandpa Harvey, my sister-in-law Nichole, and my wife's Aunt Carol.

Carol, who was a Wellness House participant, was the inspiration for us to start this team. Because of what the Wellness House gave Carol, we want to give back to the Wellness House!

Chris