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National Team Partners Quiz

Ted Torres — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 08:36:07 -0500

Okay, so I took the National Team Partners Quiz posted by Nancy Cook. I answered 4 our of the 8 questions correctly. You could say I failed this quiz. Looks like I need to brush up on my knowledge of the National Team Partners program.

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Great American Smokeout®

Ted Torres — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:15:06 -0500

I have chosen to FIGHT BACK against tobacco!

This past week I renewed my membership with ACS CAN and e-mailed letters to my congressmen asking them to pass the FDA Regulation of Tobacco Products legislation.

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Relay Summit in Los Angeles, CA

Ted Torres — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 20:10:42 -0500

Wow! What an amazing weekend. I spent it with approximately 800 or so individuals whose energy was simply off the charts! I attended the 2008 Relay For Life^® Summit in Los Angeles, California. I was a bit star struck when I ran into Jeff and Darci from the Celebrate. Remember. Fight Back. video. Pat Flynn, "Mother" of Relay For Life®, was also in attendance. Staff and volunteers from throughout California were there sharing ideas. Both Relays I am involved in, Atwater and Merced, received Pacesetter Awards. I was honored to accept the Top Excellence in Mission: Promotion award for the Atwater Relay For Life^®. We met California's Heroes of Hope, including Atwater's Maria Williams. What an AMAZING WEEKEND!

Relay for Life of Atwater

WHAT A SUMMER

chemogirl1963 — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 13:11:28 -0400

Greetings my fellow relay junkies!

Seems like forever since I've been on here! It was a rough summer, in so many ways.....our relay got hit by a nasty storm, which only slowed us down for a short time, then back on the track we went......a few weeks after relay, I lost my friend and fellow survivor, who was our Honorary Chair this year, after her brave 6 year battle with cancer....I continued with my own treatments all summer, while my dad fought his brain cancer battle. One week after my last dose of chemo (finally!!) dad lost his battle, the night before my daughters 16th birthday.......It has been tough to accept that he is gone....he fought so hard and was so brave......but I guess that just makes me want to fight harder to find a cure....for all cancers!!!

On a much happier note, i get a break from the chemo for 6 months and will only have to do a small dose, as a maintenance type thing. It's the easiest drug for me to do, so that is a plus.......I'm going to co-chair our relay this year with my friend and fellow survivor (and my rock!!) Barb, who is the most awesome woman I have ever met. We'll be getting the ball rolling soon to get our relay together and try to build it back up again. We've got our work cut out for us, but we have some great ideas and I know she'll give a 150% to putting a great relay together!~

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ARRRRGGGGGGG!!!!!!

chemogirl1963 — Tue, 20 May 2008 01:24:44 -0400

Well, I finished round 4 on Friday, so back to my corner, battered and bruised I go, waiting for the next bell to ring....which I hope isn't for a very long time!!! hahaha This one was a kicker, but got thru it, and the chemo-brain is slowly de-fogging......I only wish my dad's MRI results had been better. Even though he got thru about 90% of his treatment, the nasty, agressive tumor, ended up GROWING 1/3 LARGER! Talk about a blow!! I was expecting them to say it had, atleast, slowed down or stayed the same. They have given him 2 options....hospice or an experimental chemo. My dad wants to do the chemo...he's not ready to give in yet! Of course, the wonderful world of insurance doesn't want to pay for it, so we are hoping that he will qualify financially to get it paid for. We should find out on Friday if it's a go or not. I only wish I could be there with him right now.....hopefully soon. Our relay is a week from this Saturday and I'm going in 10 different directions at about 900 miles an hour......and of course, loving every minute of it. Having my dad fighting this battle too, just makes me want to fight even harder, for him.........if he won't quit, neither will I!!!

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THEATER PROMO!!

chemogirl1963 — Sat, 10 May 2008 09:27:40 -0400

Greetings gang!! Well, after trying to learn how to use a new video program and several revisions, my new Relay promo for our local theater is finally completed!!!! I have posted on youtube, per tradition for me, so here is the link if any one would like to watch it...my dedication at the end got scrambled somehow, when transferring it to the site, but the rest of the video seems okay..not bad for my first attempt at this new program!!! The link is : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74sEUYGiyQ4 hope you all enjoy it!!!

I have one more week of chemo, then I'm done! YEAH!!!! Will have a couple weeks to recoup before our relay!!! It's our 10th anniversary this year, and we've been working like insane elves, trying to get it all together! My dad has finished with his radiation/chemo and will do an MRI on the 16th , so we'll know what's happening with the tumor in his brain.......it has been a tough battle for him, but he's fighting like crazy! Guess we have more in common than I ever knew! Neither one of us want to give this rotten disease the satisfaction of defeating us!!!

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Relay in the News

Ted Torres — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:36:35 -0400

The 10th Annual Merced Relay For Life® raised $193,300 and is expected to exceed $200,000 by the end of April. Go to http://www.mercedsunstar.com/167/story/242029.html to read the article featured in the Merced Sun Star.

Relay for Life of Merced

Letter to the Editor

Ted Torres — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 22:56:17 -0400

Only days before the 10th Annual Relay For Life of Merced a letter was written to the editor of the Merced Sun-Star, our local newspaper. In it the author blasts Cynthia Nixon, the Susan G. Komen Foundation, and the American Cancer Society Relay For Life^®. Go to http://www.mercedsunstar.com/180/story/235525.html to read this letter online.

The American Cancer Society Lead Volunteer for the Great Valley South Region, Kathy Flaherty, was quick to get a response to the editor. In it she defends the reseach supported by ACS. Go to http://www.mercedsunstar.com/177/story/240007.html to read Flaherty's letter.

Relay for Life of Merced

October 2007 Ideas For Relay For Life - The Relay Times...

rflvolunteer — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 05:07:50 -0400

Folks,

Each month I'll blog post some ideas on things that you can be focused on to make your event the best that it can be!... I used to send out variations of this newsletter for the Relay Ideas and Information Site I have maintain, http://www.acsrelay.org , as well as for the Relay Link extranet site we had for the South Atlantic Division.

Going forward, I'll post this newsletter as the "Relay Times" on http://www.relayforlife.org as well as on the acsrelay.org blog I maintain. Hope you find it helpful! Note that these are my ideas as well as enhancements/additions from a wonderful cast of volunteers across the nation (thanks to all of you who have shared your ideas!), and several wonderful staff leaders in the South Atlantic Division. Thanks for all the folks who have shared great ideas in the past to create the content of this newsletter and a brighter future for the American Cancer Society Relay For Life!

Find below the October 2007 installment: