HOW TO GO
WHAT: Oxford Relay for Life
WHEN: 1 to 11 p.m. Saturday, July 11. The Survivors' Luncheon will be held at 11:30 a.m.
WHERE: Millett Hall, 501 E. High St. The Survivors' Luncheon will be held inside Millett on the Hall of Fame concourse. The Relay will be held on the double-sidewalk oval in front of Millett Hall.
MORE INFO: Visit bit.ly/1BkAOdI
Relay for Life is both a memorial for those who have died from the disease and a celebration of life for those who fought it and survived.
Helen Griffin will be there next Saturday with both in mind.
As a cancer survivor, she celebrates her life, saying, “Cancer did not slow me down.”
There is a somber note to her annual participation as she remembers her late husband, Charley, who died of cancer in February 2006.
Relay For Life is a social and fun event, but the most important part of the day for her is the luminaria ceremony at dusk when candles are lit and the tone becomes solemn in memory of those lost to cancer.
“I love the ceremony when the candles are lit. It is so beautiful … just the solemnity of it. It is so quiet,” Griffin said. “When you round the flagpole, it is absolutely beautiful.”
Griffin has been a part of Oxford Relay for Life since it started back in the 1990s and was held at the Talawanda football field. She was active with the St. Mary Church Relay for Life team, organizing the Bingo fundraiser as well as holding a yard sale that benefited both Relay for Life and the Wounded Warrior Project.
She was diagnosed with breast cancer in September 1994 and was told by her doctor they would use all modalities to fight the disease. She was through with them in July 1995. After that she underwent a battery of tests four times a year but that was reduced to twice a year and now annually.
“It was a year of just getting by. At the time, I said I would not do this again, but looking back, now I would,” she said, adding that she just enjoys her children, grandchildren and friends too much not to put up a fight if it was needed again, but is grateful it has been 20 years with no recurrence. “Every morning I look in the mirror and I’m glad to be here.”
She has had four total knee replacements and a new shoulder, which she said cause her some pain.
“It slows me down more than the cancer,” she said.
She recalls one day in cancer treatments when her hair had fallen out, she had no eyebrows and she feeling down. She was surprised by her son, Ed, who was in the Air Force and flew in to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base on a “touch and go” to pay her a visit. He had been overseas and got permission to make a short trip home.
She remembers her husband, Charley, lining up little pill cups on the dining room table for her each day.
“I had 21 pills and felt so sick. Charley was really good about that. The kids helped, too,” said Griffin, who worked for 30 years in Miami’s Student Health Center.
Then, later, Charley was diagnosed with cancer, getting thinner and weaker until eventually succumbing to the disease in 2006. She said she still has bad days remembering his death because, “something will set off a memory.”
With her own cancer history and that of her late husband, Relay For Life is a big part of Helen Griffin’s year. She will take part in the Survivor’s Luncheon Saturday morning before the start of the walk and plans to spend the day there. She has already purchased 30 luminarias and will take part in the evening ceremony.
“Relay For Life is held to raise money, but it is not just for breast cancer. It’s for all types. That, I like. There are fun aspects. It’s social. I look forward to the luminary ceremony,” she said. “I think by reducing the hours, it will work out. The last few years, after the ceremony, people would pack up. I hope it goes well with the changes this year.”
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