The American Cancer Society Relay for Life of Santa Clarita Valley hosted a celebration dinner for cancer survivors and their caregivers on Saturday evening.
The dinner was to show support and recognize the cancer survivor community and caregivers.
“It is a celebration for all of our cancer survivors and their caregivers, because they’re all VIPs. In our eyes, they’re all VIPs,” said Laura Peach, survivors co-chair for Relay for Life.
Peach added that this dinner is only the second the organization has done because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since the event is free, Peach wanted to focus on the environment feeling fun and uplifting for the attendees. But the main goal for the dinner was to have everyone feel included in the festivities.
“We have lots of survivors in our community, so we like to bring them all together and celebrate them. So, we want to make sure that all survivors in all of Santa Clarita Valley know that they are welcome at our events, be it Relay for Life or the dinner. We just want to include everybody,” said Erin Lewis, survivors co-chair for Relay for Life.
Leslie Borgen, another survivors co-chair for Relay For Life, emphasized that their message is for people to understand that cancer is not a death sentence and that there is hope. As an example, she cited Agnes Russell, a survivor of breast cancer and a fellow survivors co-chair for Relay for Life.
Russell has been in remission for 25 years.
“But I just count my blessings every day. Twenty-five years, I’m still here, and I count my blessings, and this is what I hope for everyone here that’s going through their journey, and I wish the best for them,” Russell said.
The co-event leads for Relay for Life, Sam Di Santo and Aimee Whaley, had personal connections to the event because they had witnessed family members battle cancer.
“My grandpa had three different types of cancers, and my grandma was his caregiver, so I’ve seen firsthand and it’s just very important to me and the people here,” Di Santo said.
Di Santo added that no matter how hard people battling cancer are trying, Relay for Life sees them and understands how hard they are pushing, especially the caregivers who do so much.
“I think it’s important because sometimes they often feel alone and like they are not seen in that. They are just fighting this battle just by themselves … my dad unfortunately passed away last year from cancer and was unable to attend this dinner,” Whaley said.
Relay for Life is hosting its next event on Saturday, May 3, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Central Park.
