Butler County celebrates 'ReLei' For Life

Mon, 05/16/2016 - 8:17am — Sam Osborne

Survivors and Butler County residents touched by cancer attended the 2016 'Relei For Life' event at Butler County High School.

Despite blustery weather, survivors and Butler County residents touched by cancer attended the 2016 Relay For Life event on Saturday, May 14, at Butler County High School.

This year's theme had a tropical twist titled "Re-Lei For Life."

Shanna Drake walked Saturday as a survivor. Drake is a two-year breast cancer survivor, completing her treatments and surgery in May of 2014.

“Raising funds is very important. I had breast cancer and it wasn’t an ideal situation, cancer never is, but I had a fairly good experience in that I wasn’t sick a lot,” Drake said. “I attribute that to research and the medications that they gave me in my treatments. I take a drug now that helps from keeping the cancer from coming back. I think we have to have those funds for research so people like me can live to raise our children.”

Event organizer Molly Embry said Relay For Life events are crucial for ramping up awareness about cancer in the community—whether that means honoring survivors, remembering those lost or giving people information so they can take precautionary measures with their health.

"There’s a lot that you can do as a community for people who are fighting this battle,” Embry said. "I think one of things you really have to remember is the research. We have to have the funding to make sure that someday we don’t have to these types of programs because maybe we won’t have cancer anymore."

The next Relay for Life event will be 5K COLOR Run/Walk on June 4 at Morgantown Elementary School. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. with an 8:00 a.m. start time.