Commit to join Relay for Life to fortify area’s war on cancer

Despite colossal progress in fighting cancer in recent years, the debilitating disease continues to cut short the lives of 1,500 residents of the Mahoning Valley each year, according to the Ohio Department of Health’s “2014 Cancer in Ohio” report. That report also shows that even though cancer rates in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties have stabilized in recent years, they have not fallen nearly as quickly as in many other counties in the state.

Armed with such facts, support for the American Cancer Society and success for its principal fundraiser take on added significance today, the official start of the 2015 Relay for Life season in the Mahoning Valley. Relay for Life Youngstown begins at 6 tonight in Beeghly Center at Youngstown State University. It is the first of 13 events that will play out in the tri-county area through the summer.

The tens of thousands who participate annually in the 24-hour marathons at tracks, stadiums, gymnasiums and other venues exert their energy for a noble and critically important cause: raising awareness of cancer’s devastating impact, assisting its survivors and expediting research for cures. They are a part of 3.2 million cancer fighters in 5,200 communities.

Locally, ACS Relay for Life officials, organizers and volunteers have brought a healthy and much needed dose of positive attention to the Valley as a leader in the fundraisers throughout Ohio and the U.S.

More importantly, Relay participants can take pride in providing critical reinforcements to the ongoing war on cancer.

The indomitable spirit of cancer survivors, patients, caregivers and donors helped to raise a whopping $1,076,361 from 13 local Relays in 2014. The bulk of those dollars stays in the community to support survivors and care- givers with such services as free overnight stays at The Hope Lodge midway between two major Cleveland hospitals for cancer care, transportation for patients to appointments, a wig bank, critical research at regional medical and many other services.

Considering the toll that cancer extracts on our community, those services are sorely needed, as are the Relays to support them. Ohio Health Department data show that about 65,000 Ohioans are diagnosed with cancer annually, and about 25,000 die statewide from it. Overall, cancer death rates in the Buckeye State rank about 9 percent higher than the national rate.

Survival rates

Despite such discouraging data, hope cannot be dashed. Thanks in part to the efforts of Relay allies, survival from cancer continues to increase. The five-year survival rate for all cancers nationwide is about 70 percent, compared with 50 percent three decades ago.

Reports such as those provide momentum for Relay participants and supporters. But clearly more work remains. That means Relay organizers must work this year to garner increased participation and support. Unfortunately, Valley participation in recent years has declined slightly, according to Tristan Codner, community manager for Relay for Life in our region. That decline most likely results from the overall decline in the Valley’s population and the region’s still wobbly economy.

Here’s hoping that a wealth of new recruits joins this year’s events. For a complete list of the events, visit the Relay for Life website [relayforlife.org] or call the Northeast Ohio affiliate of ACS in Canfield.

The society estimates that Relays for Life across America help to save 500 lives each day. Increasing the size of that compassionate army of lifesavers will go far toward loosening the oftentimes deadly grip of cancer on our community, state and nation.