Supporters walk the walk against cancer
Cancer doesn't sleep, and neither did roughly 800 people who fought back by being a part of the West Rand's 11th annual Cansa Relay for Life movement.
Cancer doesn’t sleep, and neither did roughly 800 people who fought back by being a part of the West Rand’s 11th annual Cansa Relay for Life movement which took place on Friday, 13 October at Hoërskool Bastion.
On this night, survivors, caregivers, loved ones and relay supporters gathered in the name of their loved ones when they walked the walk from 6pm until 6am the following morning.
Despite the cold and windy weather, this night saw hundreds of courageous feet stomping around the sports field in memory of their loved ones who may have lost the fight against cancer, while others circled the field as warriors, celebrating their victory against this deadly disease.
During the 12 hours, a great many individuals and teams walked to the rhythm of various local and upcoming artists and also had the opportunity to make a necklace with the jewellery beads received for every lap completed.
To honour and remember loved ones who have passed or who are still fighting the disease, a Luminaria ceremony was held at 8pm, when glow sticks were put inside paper bags which were placed around the relay track as glowing tributes.
According to coordinator and Cansa activist and survivor, Ester Pretorius, each person had the opportunity to decorate a paper bag for their loved one, whereafter they silently paid tribute during the the ceremony.
“This brings me so much joy, to see a community coming together – uniting and fighting as one. Even though it’s such an extremely sad cause, these supporters chose to see the better of it by spreading further awareness,” she said.
Various teams and individuals used this opportunity to dress up in tutus, blankets, wigs and hats while some even brought their dogs to join in the fight, including Paws for People, a non-profit organisation that offers animal-assisted therapy.
“We would really like to thank each and every one of our supporters who stand by us year after year. We are also truly grateful for each person who attended our latest walk and contributed to creating awareness about this disease. We can’t even begin to describe how thankful we are.” Ester concluded.
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