Forest Grove event, which will observe its tenth year in 2013, has become a staple in western Washington County

Judy Vanderzanden was only 46 when she died of breast cancer 19 years ago — the same age her daughter, Dawn Andresen, is now.

"It's going to be an emotional weekend," Andresen said Saturday morning as she surveyed the track at Neil Armstrong Middle School, where, for the ninth year in a row, hundreds of people walked and ran laps at Relay for Life, the American Cancer Society's national signature event.

"My mom didn't make it to 47," added Andresen, a Forest Grove resident who'll mark that birthday herself July 18.

For Andresen, chairing Relay events is a family affair. Her sister, Danielle Patrick of La Pine, directs that Central Oregon city's Relay for Life. As she alternately managed the microphone during opening ceremonies and answered questions from team members, Andresen was circumspect.

"I do this because it feels better than doing nothing," the vivacious, blond-haired woman said. "We need to raise awareness about this disease and someday hopefully there will be no more cancer."

Doing laps

By 10:30 a.m. the sun was high in the sky and many of the 430 participants were already glistening with sweat. But they persevered in doing their laps, encouraging each other and, occasionally, accepting an unexpected gift.

Jeff Taylor and his brother, Jay Taylor, passed out fused glass necklaces — purple with a red heart in the center — to cancer survivors after they completed their "survivors' lap," a gesture that reminded them of their grandmother's giving spirit.

"She died of cancer," said Jeff, who chaired the Forest Grove Relay in 2010 and 2011. The siblings, who handled logistics over the weekend, are proud of their Relay service.

"We make sure the garbage cans are emptied and we keep the bathrooms clean," noted Jay. "The coolest thing about our Relay is that I've been doing this for eight years and I've never heard anyone complaining."

'Hope' and 'Cure'

Whether they came for the connections, to raise money or as one of 1,000 or so folks carrying glow sticks during Saturday evening's luminaria ceremony — a tradition that honors loved ones who've died from various forms of cancer — Relay enthusiasts united under the twin banners of "Hope" and "Cure," represented by 30-foot-tall letters spelling the words out on the Neil Armstrong field.

Lorna Lewis, a veteran of nine local Relays, said that for her, remembering her friend, Holley Thompson, was a prime motivator.

"I started doing this when Holley passed away," said Lewis, a member of Fight Like You Mean It, a brand-new team this year. Thompson's daughter Shelby is now 17, and her husband, Mark Cook, continues to support Relay events three years after his wife's death.

"I do it for her," Cook said simply, clutching a white luminaria bag with the words "We love you, Holley!" scrawled across it in pink and red.

Fight Like You Mean It, led by Brenda Kintz, who's battling a rare form of cancer called leiomyosarcoma, brought a half-dozen members of the Forest Grove High School Class of 1980 together for a cause. The women donned purple T-shirts, gold bead necklaces, feather boas and sparkly tiaras for the occasion.

Their over-the-top outfits were all in fun, but the 28-member group was all business when it came to their mission. They raised more than $7,500 to be honored as Rookie Team of the Year during the 48-hour event, whose theme was "The Magic of Relay."

"I'm going to walk as much as I can, and if I can't, they'll push me," said Gina Brown, one of the FGHS grads. Kintz, who walked 13.25 miles at Astoria's Relay for Life last year "when I was bald and barely mobile," arranged for her oncologist, Dr. Gary Takahashi of Oregon Health & Science University, to speak at the 2012 Forest Grove event.

"Seeing him in this venue, rather than with a chemo bag between us, was a very nice change," she noted.

Co-captain Lori Lesmeister helped Kintz spur their team toward an initial fundraising goal of $5,000, but by Saturday the dollars were at $5,802 — and counting — because of various pre-Relay fundraising events.

Each dollar counts

But Bob Finicle, a volunteer with the regional Relay for Life organization, told those gathered for Saturday's opening message that "no matter how much you have raised," each dollar counts.

"We all have the same thing burning in our hearts," Finicle said. "We either lost someone to cancer, we've fought the fight or we just don't want to see anybody else have to do that."

Last year in Oregon, he added, the ACS funded $5.9 million in research grants, with some of the money coming from Relay events.

Andresen said Monday that more than $81,000 had been counted, boosting Forest Grove past its fundraising goal. Next year, she predicted, should be even bigger.

"Once you go to one Relay, it's hard to stay away," Andresen said.