Thursday, May 15, 2025 marked Newmarket High School’s 18th annual Relay for Life fundraiser for the Canadian Cancer Society. It was a beautiful event, bringing together hundreds of students to celebrate cancer survivors in our community and recognize the deep impact that cancer has on our lives and loved ones. To read about my experience from last year as the Recruitment Coach, you can visit this previous blog post. The money raised goes towards cancer research and ensuring that patients have access to their treatments. Youth-led initiatives across the nation have been incredibly significant to the cause, and recently, my school reached our million dollar milestone, accumulative from our years of hard work.
I choose to fundraise to pave a path for future treatments. I relay for my great grandparents, who succumbed to cancer because there were very limited treatment options available at the time. I relay for my friends who have lost their parents. I relay so that when somebody is diagnosed with cancer, they don’t have that sinking feeling in their gut that their life is over. I relay so that families around the world do not have to grieve the loss of their loved ones due to cancer. I relay for all those who don’t have anyone to relay for them. I relay because when we come together as a society, we are bigger than cancer.
