Relay for Life set to take place at Hoover High

On April 26 at 6 p.m., residents from all over the city of Birmingham will descend upon Hoover High School’s campus to participate in the American Cancer Society’s local Birmingham chapter’s Relay For Life event. The format of the event – billed nationally as the world’s largest walk to end cancer – is purposeful and poignant, complete with luminaries and scores of devoted relay participants who walk the track from the 6 p.m. start to 6 a.m. the next morning.

Beverly Meadors, vice president and branch manager of IBERIA Bank’s location on John Hawkins Parkway, fi rst became acquainted with Relay for Life early in her banking career when an associate lost his battle with cancer.

“Cancer touches everyone in some way, but how you deal with it is a different matter altogether,” she said.

Meadors said she was so touched and moved by the ceremonies from her fi rst Relay for Life event that she promised the next year she’d become even more engaged.

Today, she participates in not only his memory, but also for her fi rst husband and former mother-in-law, along with many others she has lost over the years.

“I would challenge everyone in Hoover to become involved and see what a difference you can make. It takes the whole community,” she said.

For Kathleen Spencer, regional director of sales for Holiday Inn Hoover, Relay for Life signals much-needed hope despite widespread cancer diagnoses throughout her family tree. Spencer lost her mother, four aunts and six cousins to breast cancer; she also lost an uncle to brain cancer and a grandfather to lung cancer.

“Cancer is a malevolent attacker,” she said. “It can devastate a family, it can rob an individual of their pride and it can play havoc with hopes and dreams.”

Spencer implores fellow residents and those who work in the community to take part.

“I know my City, and I know we can do this. Together we can make Hoover the top fundraising team out of all the cities. Together we can ‘exceed expectations.’ Hope is the one thing none of us can live without.”

Visit relay.acsevents.org for more.