Janice Shupp’s first Relay experience was as a Team Captain in 2003 in Murrells Inlet, SC. She is now the Event Co-Chair in Sugar Land, TX.

Janice has been a breast cancer survivor for four years now, and sees Relay For Life as an opportunity to make friends, family, and her community aware. She says that Relay For Life is an excellent way to introduce people to the concepts of early detection, cancer education, saving lives through research, and the American Cancer Society’s patient support programs.

Like many survivors, Janice’s most memorable experience at Relay For Life is the Survivor’s Lap. “Just seeing those that have fought the battle and won, those that are fighting and will win,” she says.

Although Janice is a survivor, she has lost many family members to cancer. She Remembers them all through her participation in Relay For Life. She lost her father (lung/brain cancer), her grandmother (stomach cancer), her uncle (lung/bone cancer), her aunt (colon cancer), and most recently her brother (lung/brain cancer). Her mother is an ovarian cancer survivor.

But rather than mourn her loss, she allows Relay For Life to fill her with hope. “Working with Relay For Life, I feel close to those I have lost, that I am making a difference. It keeps them alive in my heart,” says Janice.