By Andrew de Souza

La Ronge hosts first Relay for Life of the season

May 15, 2011 | 8:26 AM

LA RONGE —Hundreds of people turned out to walk all night for a noble cause: fighting cancer.

More than 300 people signed up for the first Relay for Life in the province this year on Friday in La Ronge. Prince Albert businessman Malcolm Jenkins pledged to double the total raised, up to $50,000.

They came out to remember those who have been lost, those who continue to fight and those who have survived the disease that affects so many people.

The event was headed by Debby Thome and her daughter. Thome said after losing her husband to cancer, she wanted to help the fight continue.

“It totally devastated our family” she said. “Coming out to an event like this is moving forward and it’s just being positive.”

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“Cancer will not beat us. We are going to beat cancer.”

Laurie Dent, regional manager of the Canadian Cancer Society said that while relays are always successful, this year’s La Ronge run just floored her.

“People always come on board because they understand the cause, they know people personally and they want to come out and fight,” she said. “But when we were putting this together, they came together to put this event together, we underestimated the impact it was going to have. We underestimated the amount of money they would raise, the amount of luminaries they would sell, the survivors, everything.

“This community has pulled together and just done an absolutely wonderful job.”

Perhaps cancer survivor Alex Halkett summed up the feeling of the night best.

“They’re doing this for people that they care about, people that they’ve lost and people that are fighting and people that have survived and there’s only one word it that whole thing and it’s all about love,” he said.

For more photos: La Ronge Relay for Life

adesouza@panow.com