Roanoke, Va. – Taking step after step, the Roanoke Valley comes together for the Relay for Life to raise money for cancer research.
Hundreds of thousands of people die from cancer every year in the U.S.
But Roanoke Valley supporters are sticking together to finish the fight for them.
Supporters took a lap Saturday at the Relay for Life at the Salem Civic Center to honor ones who have passed and celebrate survivors.
Wearing the word survivor with pride, Vicky Zimmerman has been in remission for the past 10 years.
“And praise Jesus I am still in remission and that’s the reason I relay cause I don’t want my kids and my grandkids to hear you have cancer,” she said. “I don’t want anybody to hear those three words.”
Zimmerman was diagnosed with a rare form of Leukemia back in 2010.
“Keep your faith,” she said. “Keep your strength. Seventy-five percent if not 85 percent of beating cancer is the attitude you have that you are going to beat it. If you give in, cancer wins.”
Nearly 40 teams participated this year to raise money for cancer research and support cancer survivors.
“We are two or three times bigger,” Dottie Booze with the event planning committee said. “More fun. More energy.”
Twenty-four vendors lined the parking lot with silent auctions, raffles and merchandise sales.
A show with 42 cars on display also attracted hundreds of eyes.
Bill Booze with the MDA car show said this is their way of paying tribute to their past members who put up a tough fight.
“Being a support for the ones that are out here who hopefully have survived some type of cancer but also those who also have passed from cancer,” he said. “Be here as a support team. It means a lot.”