Editorial: Stepping out to help those with cancer

The turn-out for this years Relay for Life was outstanding. Photo/Warren Buckland

Between midnight and 2am yesterday, you would have found me walking around Farndon Park in Clive.

It is not something I normally do at that time - I am usually tucked up in bed fast asleep.

However, this was a special occasion so I, along with about 1300 others, took part in the Cancer Society's annual Relay for Life.

It was an amazing experience and what pleased me most was how many young people, especially teenagers, made the effort to support this worthy cause.

The event is a fundraiser for The Cancer Society, but as the society's Hawke's Bay manager Trudy Kirk said, it is much more than that. It is about supporting those with cancer.

There was plenty of support out on the track this weekend and it was good to see.

There were some youngsters who sprinted, others who walked fast while some simply ambled around at a leisurely pace.

It did not matter, as long as there were people walking for the 20 hours. The whole concept behind the Relay for Life is that cancer never sleeps so the participants have to keep on going.

Obviously there were many people there whose lives have been affected by cancer and some went to great lengths to pay tribute with displays in front of their tents around the track.

The walls of remembrance at one corner of the park also had many moving tributes.

The thing about Relay for Life is that it forces you to go the extra mile (literally) and to make a sacrifice.

Considering what those affected by cancer go through, sacrificing a little bit of sleep is the least we could have done.