Cancer.
That word holds a lot of power, a lot of emotion. It’s pervasive, more pervasive than we’d like to admit. Think about it, every single one of us has been directly affected by cancer – a family member, a friend, a coworker, or perhaps a neighbor. Cancer does not discriminate and it does not hesitate to wreak havoc on those impacted by this deadly disease.
Cancer is a pervasive class of diseases characterized by out-of-control cell growth. There are over 100 different types of cancer, and each is classified by the type of cell that is initially affected. Over the years, we have seen great medical advances as doctors have been able to learn more about the disease, like the way it spreads within the body and how to treat it. Today, it is even being said that “cancer” is no longer a death sentence with proper medical treatment. The journey will be long, the journey will be difficult, but the journey will not be alone and the journey is no longer without a sunrise on the horizon.
Yes, we’ve made a lot of progress, but not enough - we still have work to do. And this work is costly, but it is well worth the investment. Money raised enables the continuation of research, the discovery of new treatments, the improvement of lives, and a world with more birthdays. The power of the word “cancer” is slipping away and someday it will be defeated.
It’s hard, but we will keep going. We’ll celebrate, remember, and fight back.
Those are the words that make up the Relay For Life movement, part of the biggest movement to take a stand against cancer and the signature fundraiser for the American Cancer Society.
We’ve talked before about how ecommerce has enabled nonprofits to do amazing things. When it comes to non-profit organizations using ecommerce, the American Cancer Society is the model. And, it’s ecommerce that allows the ACS and Relay For Life to continue to be as successful as they are and continue to expand their capabilities for processing and accepting donations.
The Relay For Life events make a huge impact; so many people come together to support the same cause and it becomes such a powerful, impactful experience for everyone involved. It’s eye-opening and, oftentimes, life-changing as well. It’s at events, like Relay, where we truly see how much and how intimately cancer connects us all – as survivors, as caretakers, and as supporters.
At Relay events, we’re offered the chance to come together and work towards a world without cancer. Until then, we’ll continue to Relay. We’ll continue to celebrate our survivors. We’ll continue to remember those we have lost along the way. And, we will never stop fighting back.
That’s why, we’ve chosen to support a Relay For Life event as part of our #BetterCommunities Initiative for March. If you’d like to join in, you can donate to my personal Relay page: http://main.acsevents.org/goto/AshleyMOrndorff, or, if you would prefer to do so, you can donate directly to the American Cancer Society.