Jones Co. RFL raises $10,000 in its fight against cancer

     Last year, the pandemic made it difficult to safely host an in-person Relay For Life in Jones County. This year, the event raised over $10,000.

     The RFL was held on Friday evening May 7. Four teams registered for the event, as well as several cancer survivors and caregivers.

     The top team, “Mom Z,” named in memory of Carla Zumbach, who passed away following a 12-year battle with breast cancer in July 2019, was the top team. They raised $2,250.

     The co-chairs of the RFL this year were Amanda Hackney and Melissa Ehrisman.

     “This is an amazing gathering,” marveled Ehrisman. “Just look around you… Families, friends, co-workers, businesses, and community leaders, children, grandparents, and neighbors are all here for the same reason: to put an end to cancer.”

     Ehrisman said those walking the track in Monticello were joining 5,000 other communities across the country and 20 other countries also hosting RFL events.

     “You are joining forces with 3.5 million people worldwide who want to save lives. Together, we are creating a world with less cancer and more birthdays.”

     To kick off the festivities, Monticello High School Senior Sydney Freese sang the National Anthem, and Father Paul Baldwin with Sacred Herat Catholic Church offered a prayer.

     “Their special effort and passion to help others is a blessing from you, Father,” read Baldwin. “We all pray together in faith for a cure for cancer and for your blessings to be upon those surviving and fighting the battle against cancer.”

     Sharing her personal experiences as a breast cancer survivor was Carrie Yates of Monticello. Yates has been cancer-free for two years now.

     “I was asked by Diane Temple (RFL committee member) to speak tonight. I really didn’t want to,” Yates said with complete honesty. “Many of you probably didn’t even know I had breast cancer. I keep telling people it was really no big deal. Diane said, ‘That’s why we want you to talk. Because it doesn’t have to be a big deal when it’s detected early,’ as it was in my situation.”

     Yates said three years ago, she received a letter in the mail telling her that he 3-D mammogram showed nothing to be concerned about, but due to her dense breast tissue, she needed an additional scan. She paid no attention to that initial letter.

     Then, the next year, Yates’ cousin, Dawn Long, was diagnosed with breast cancer. And, again, Yates received that same letter.

     “Dawn told her story,” she said. “I thought, I better get this done; better to be safe than sorry.”

     So had a scan done and doctors discovered she had breast cancer, though it was caught extremely early.

     Yates said the worst part wasn’t just hearing those dreaded words, but having to tell her son.

     “You never want to have to tell your kid that you have cancer. He looked at me and said, ‘Mom, you can’t die on me.’

     “I thanked God that this was me and not me kid,” continued Yates. “Because I’ll take it on before I would have any of this happen to my own child.”

     Yates said she chose to speak at RFL to bring awareness to early dictation and raising money for equipment that allowed her to be alive today.

     “Events like this raise money for equipment so we can get cancer detected early; so we can live 60 years beyond a diagnosis,” she said. “It’s amazing how far we’ve come, and it’s due to events and donations like this. We’re able to keep ahead of it.”

     Yates said another thing that kept her going throughout her ordeal was her faith. She said the phrase “do not be afraid” is listed 365 times in the Bible.

     “That’s why we’re supposed to live every day being fearless. Fear serves you no purpose,” she concluded.

     Following Yates’ speech, each cancer survivor present shared their name, the type of cancer they were diagnosed with, and how long they’ve either been cancer-free or battling cancer. All cancer survivors were then invited to walk a lap around the track. The second lap was reserved for caregivers to join the survivors.

     At dusk, luminary bags in honor and in memory of those with cancer were set up in the bleachers and along the track for a lap in silence.