Each year we marvel at how the Wetzel County Relay For Life has become one of the biggest, liveliest events of the year here. The all-night event is like a big party. . . that is with the notable exceptions of the emotional luminaria service, survivors lap, and caregivers lap.

Unfortunately those more poignant moments are the crux of Relay. Those are the moments when the difficult fight against cancer and its sometimes somber end are marked. That is when it becomes clear just why all of the effort is being made in this big fund raising event.

Unlike most organizations and events, the goal of the American Cancer Society and Relay For Life is to disappear. They would love for there to be no need for the group and its primary fund raising event held in communities across the country.

That’s exactly why “A Cure Will Be Paradise” is this year’s Relay theme. Did you notice the tense of that verb? The committee chose to say “A Cure Will Be Paradise” not “A Cure Would Be Paradise”. A look at the dictionary shows that “will” indicates determination while “would” is a wish. This is not simply a wish for a cure to cancer, this is active determination to find a cure.

In recent years we have seen that determination come to fruition in many cases. Cancer is becoming more beatable every day. The survivors are beginning to outnumber the casualties. With the kind of determination seen at the local level, we believe the casualties can be eliminated. We hope you’ll join the fight.