14th Relay for Life underway in Austintown

AUSTINTOWN

Cancer survivors are in a unique club. So are those battling the disease.

This evening, they got together at the Relay For Life at Austintown Township Park to help raise funds to find a cure.

This is the 14th year the fundraiser has been in Austintown.

Some survivors said that one of the most important things Relay For Life does is get together people battling cancer and those who have beat it so they can lend support to each other.

“It’s important for us as individuals to have a good support group. This is one way,” said Marsha Grossman of Austintown, who has survived non-Hodgkins lymphoma. “I got the most comfort from people who were in my shoes.”

Stephanie Derov of Austintown was diagnosed with leukemia 25 years ago when she was just 11. She said as a child, she wasn’t even aware of how serious the situation was when they told her. But the disease taught her valuable lessons, she said.

“It made me strong,” Derov said. “It made me a fighter. It made me not give up on anything.”

Read more about the event in Saturday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.