RELAY FOR LIFE Cancer Society honors doctor

Dr. Robert T. Brodell led Trumbull County to be the No. 1 Relay for Life community in its division.
WARREN -- A Warren dermatologist is being given a national honor for his Relay for Life involvement.
Dr. Robert T. Brodell will be installed in the American Cancer Society's National Relay for Life Hall of Fame on Friday at the Warren Relay for Life at Mollenkopf Stadium.
Dr. Brodell will be the fifth person to receive the national hall of fame recognition, some 20 years after completing his education and returning to practice in Warren.
"When I came back to town, my parents -- who were from Warren -- wanted me to get involved in something in the community," he said. Dr. Brodell got involved with the ACS in 1985.
Soon he began giving public lectures at the public library about skin cancer, but as he met more and more people, it became apparent to him more needed to be done to raise awareness, he said.
The doctor next found himself involved in less-than-successful ACS fund-raisers. Eventually, he was sent to a national fund-raising program in Florida. One of the sessions there discussed how a relay could raise both dollars and awareness.
"It just was obvious that this was something we could do for Trumbull County," he said. "Six weeks later, we held our first Relay for Life."
Trumbull County relay
Dr. Brodell was instrumental in bringing the relay to Trumbull County in 1994. During that event, 14 teams walked the track at Mollenkopf for 24 hours and raised $24,000.
In 2004, 280 teams at Trumbull County's five relays -- in Cortland, Liberty, Lordstown, Niles and Warren -- raised $920,000.
"It's certainly more successful than any of our wildest dreams," he said.
During the next two months, people from Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties will participate in one of the 13 remaining ACS Relay for Life events in the tri-county area.
The relay is the signature event of the ACS. It raises money so the cancer society can continue its work and keep raising awareness of its services and programs.
This year, thousands of volunteers hope to raise $1 million in Trumbull County, an attainable goal, the doctor said. "This year we have more teams, more energy and more enthusiasm."
Reuel Johnson, national vice president of the Relay for Life business unit, will present the award to Dr. Brodell.
"As truly inspirational, you can't be around Dr. Bob for long without catching his enthusiasm. He is the spirit of the Relay," Johnson said.
Participation has made Trumbull County the No. 1 Relay for Life community in the United States for its population group of 150,000 to 250,000 people.
State and national help
Dr. Brodell also has been involved in the Ohio Division Relay for Life committee, which has seen participation grow to 200 relays throughout the state, with income of more than $13 million in 2004.
On a national level, Dr. Brodell was a member of the National Relay for Life Advisory Team from 1999 to 2002. He helped the Relay for Life recruit 3 million volunteers and raise more than $1 billion for fighting cancer.
He also was instrumental in getting relay volunteers involved with the national debate on cancer issues through his idea, Celebration on the Hill. The event brought American Cancer Society volunteers from all 50 states to Washington, D.C., in 2002 for a relay-type event on the capital mall.
Dr. Brodell serves on the American Cancer Society National Income Development Committee and the National Advocacy and Public Policy Committee. He has been awarded the American Cancer Society's St. George National Award for distinguished and exemplary leadership.