Campbell Comes Together to Show That Cancer Is More Than a Statistic

Residents of Campbell flocked to the  over the weekend to participate in , a 24-hour walk and camp out that raises awareness and money to fight cancer.

“One of the biggest challenges in politics, in public policy and community, is overcoming the power of abstraction,” Campbell Mayor said at the official start of the event. “Cancer is a thief in the night, and you are all out here making sure it isn’t a statistic.”

Local businesses, organizations and families set up booths where they sold their products and donated the proceeds to the American Cancer Society. Relay teams kept their members walking around the track in honor of those who have died and those who are fighting cancer.

The event's goal is to educate people but also remind those suffering from cancer that there is hope for them, that they are not a statistic, and that there is a large community supporting them.

People diagnosed with cancer "are confronted with the reality that they might pass away,” Dr. Paul Beaupre, CEO of Good Samaritan Hospital, said at his organization's booth. The hospital volunteers sold donated DVDs and CDs to raise funds, while also signing up volunteers for programs of the American Cancer Society.

“What [Relay for Life] shows is the community is behind people with cancer, and we are pulling for them,” Beaupre says.

Cancer survivors populated the event and confirmed the importance of such gatherings.

“When I was diagnosed, it was really scary, and I thought, automatically, ‘death sentence,’” said Lynn Richard. “You go to events like this and you get to see everybody out here that is still living, and that life goes on.”

The event was also populated by family members of cancer patients. 

Roger Kittles, owner of Body Work by Roger, whose booth provided massage and sport therapies, said both he and his business partner have had relatives with cancer.

“We fell in love with the idea of coming out and helping out,” said Kittles.

As Sabrina Medina handed out snow cones in the Sequoia Equities booth, she said, “Everybody is touched by cancer—particularly our team; we have all lost somebody to cancer.”