Team RAMROD Fights Back!

When Todd and I first found out that we were accepted to James Cook University, we started looking up activities in Townsville, which was going to be our new home. I remember Todd telling me that there was going to be a Relay for Life in May in downtown Townsville and we were both excited to take part! Well that was then, and this is now. It's already May and Relay for Life just happened last night. Time is going by so fast, yet I still remember talking about the idea of participating months ago when I was still in the States. When it got closer to the time for the actual event to take place, Todd gathered up a team and we decided to call ourselves Team Ramrod after the classic movie, Super Troopers. We were all excited to start fund raising for the event and actually get out there and relay for a cure. There were 16 of us on the team and we raised over $800 for cancer research! It was a really good turn out and all of us had an amazing time.

The flags in the above picture stand for all of the people in Queensland, Australia that are diagnosed with cancer each year. It was our job to make a pledge to do ONE thing to prevent cancer (ex: putting on sunscreen, telling family members to eat healthy, raising awareness, etc.). Once you made your pledge, you removed one of the flags and the goal was to have all the flags gone by the end of the event.

A bunch of my friends and I participated in the CCU Relay for Life and that was a large turn out, but nothing compared to here in Townsville. It is a community event where people from all over the city come to participate! There were over 2,000 people at Relay this year and it was really something to see. The track was covered with all sorts of groups including high schools, families, universities, etc. The theme was 70's and it was hilarious to see all the different people dressed up in their 70's garb. Activities included Relay Idol (karaoke), Seventies Trivia, movies, and the classic luminaria service honoring those fighting cancer and remembering those we have lost. I know a lot of people that have been affected by cancer and I was glad to walk in honor of them here in Australia. The ceremony was emotional for most and it was beautiful to see all the bags lit around the track. The night was filled with all different emotions and overall, it was a great opportunity to take time out and participate in such a world wide effort to fight cancer and raise awareness.

Sara decided it would be a clever idea to get her face painted like Harry Potter. I am glad she did it for cancer.

Above is a picture of Lyndsey, Me, and Sam with our faces painted for the 70's theme! It was a gold coin donation to Relay for Life and we were excited to raise money for the cause. I personally walked over 10 miles during Relay! To say the least, I was exhausted by the end of the night. I felt really good about being there even though I was all the way across the world celebrating with mostly strangers. The feeling at Relay is always the same for me, I am happy to be there with people I care about and we are all there for the same reason. You always feel close to the people that are there even if you don't know their names. It's a really great event and I am going to continue to relay for a cure. I personally believe that it was a great way to wrap up my stay here in Australia.

I'll make sure to put up pictures on flickr once I have gathered them from various friends that were part of the team. Hope you enjoyed reading! G'day.