Getting Relay-ready

CLOVIS — Relay for Life returns to Clovis on Saturday with a couple changes, but the core mission is constant: raise enough money for cancer research that the disease and the relay become a thing of the past.

Until that day comes, organizers will stay busy.

The 22nd Annual Clovis Relay for Life is scheduled to take place from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday at Ned Houk Park, its first time in recent memory to occur during daytime hours rather than overnight.

Those leading the event said they are experimenting with a new time frame this year in the hopes of drawing more participants, noting the continued urgency of funding cancer research and treatment even as the economy draws most citizens' purse strings ever tighter.

"I wouldn't be alive if it weren't for cancer research, and that's why relay is so important to me," said Jan Salazar-Chairez, 69, who marks her 32nd year cancer-free this October.

Salazar-Chairez was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1985, only a couple of years after moving to Clovis.

"I was young. I was very young," she said. "When you first got the news that you had cancer — well, there's been a lot of healing."

Six weeks of radiation and as many months of chemotherapy followed, as well as surgery in Clovis with consultation from oncologists at the University of New Mexico Cancer Center in Albuquerque.

"And of course the chemo was grueling. It does make you ill, and you have no energy and nothing tastes good," she said. "But I'm just thankful that I had a lot of support and a lot of people praying for me."

During her treatment, Salazar-Chairez learned that her family history of breast cancer was more extensive than she first realized - the same illness afflicted her cousin, two aunts and two great-aunts.

She also met other survivors, who shared their experiences and helped prepare her for life in remission.

"I had a 99 percent chance of my cancer returning after surgery," she said. "And here I am. I'm a survivor. I've survived a long time."

Salazar-Chairez said she participated in Relay for Life for many years before building a team four years ago.

"I really wanted to get really involved and make a difference," she said. "And even though we don't have as many teams here as in years past, I really am hoping and praying that we meet our goal."

As of Thursday afternoon, organizers have raised roughly 60 percent of their $50,000 fundraising goal, a more modest objective by far than previous years, according to Sharon Franco, a lead organizer for the relay.

All the funds raised are first received by the American Cancer Society, said Franco. A portion of that money makes its way directly back to Clovis through the cancer center at Plains Regional Medical Center. Other ACS dollars go to nearby support centers, such as the Hope Lodge in Lubbock.

Yolanda Hopkins, 55, is another survivor-turned-organizer. She knows well the impact research can have, since she's seen the results firsthand.

Hopkins was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in the summer of 2011, having already been treated by surgery for a malignant melanoma the year before.

In the year that followed, Hopkins went through a regime: chemotherapy to shrink the tumor, then a double mastectomy, then radiation.

"As weird as it sounds, I'm grateful that I did have cancer. I wouldn't go back and change it for anything, even if it was the hardest thing I've ever done," she said. "I knew when I first started this journey that God was behind me and he was going to give me everything I needed to get through it ... It's changed me for the better. You realize that life is short and you never know how long you're going to have."

Next month, Hopkins will celebrate five years cancer-free. On Saturday, she also marks her fifth year working with Relay for Life.

"I started it after I finished my treatment," she said. "I wanted to give back by helping get money for research."

Hopkins' mother is also a breast cancer survivor, having been treated in a clinical trial that "happened to be for one of the chemo drugs" her daughter took during her own treatment, nearly two decades later.

"I'm really big into them doing research," she said. "Because of what my mom did I'm still here today."

There are about 30 teams registered for Saturday's relay. The all-day event starts even before the opening ceremonies, with 7 a.m. registration for an 8 a.m. 5K run.

During the day team members will take turns walking laps on a track painted on the grass, while a variety of family friendly functions hope to keep the crowd occupied.

Live music begins at 1 p.m. with the Will Bannister Band performing during the Survivor Reception. A Box Car Derby is set for 4 p.m., and a Ms. Relay Pageant is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. In between, relay-goers can test their skill at tug o'war, three-legged race or musical chairs. A silent auction aims to draw in some day-of dollars.

"I know the economy is tight all around, everywhere, so every Relay for Life is not doing as well as it has in the past because of the economy," said Salazar-Chairez. "But I would still encourage everyone to get involved. If you don't want to be involved in raising or putting together a team, come out and support the event, walk the track, buy a luminaria from somebody who is selling them."