Boardman's 23rd annual Relay for Life underway

BOARDMAN

Laurie Harper set a goal for herself during last year’s Relay For Life fundraiser in Boardman: She walked for a continuous 18 hours.

This year, she intends to break it by going a full 24 hours around the track at Spartan Stadium.

While her full-day feat is impressive, Harper’s most impressive win was against breast cancer. She's a two-year cancer survivor, and she dedicated her walk in Boardman’s 23rd annual Relay for Life to her brother-in-law’s father, Bill Dugan, who recently died from pancreatic cancer.

The Relay for Life – this year’s Boardman relay began this evening and runs until 6 Saturday night – is the flagship fundraising event of the American Cancer Society, where people sponsor teams and singular participants to walk continuous laps around a track, often for 24 hours.

Cancer survivors, such as Harper, are joined on the track by friends and family during the walk and also are honored with a dinner and a ceremony.

“The relay isn’t really about any one individual; it’s about the support everyone brings for everyone else, no matter how they’ve been impacted by cancer,” Harper said.

Forty-seven teams were registered to participate in this year’s relay, with organizers estimating a total turnout of between 500 and 700 participants.

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