23/05/2012

Celebrate, Remember, Fight Back


This past weekend (May 19th into the 20th) we celebrated the first annual Canadian Cancer Societies "Relay For Life" in Alert. It was the first of it's kind for the station and as well for Canada's largest territory, Nunavut! It was the northernmost relay in the world and we had a blast! Here's a sneak peak into what went down :) 


Meet Erik. He's the Environment Canada type and he volunteered his burly beard and hair for a great cause. 


 Mid way through I gave it the "Kristy Doyle stamp of approval"! 


Meet Max. He's the Canadian Base Operators type and he volunteered his #1 asset to getting the ladies for this honourable cause as well! We got one last grope in there before it was buzzed off by yours truly!  


The bald and the beautiful and together they raised over $500 for the cause :) 


Before the opening ceremony, guests take time to write "in memory of" and "in honour of" luminaries for those who have suffered and are currently battling cancer. 


Moi! 


Almost the entire station (approx 70 personnel), military, civilian and visitors alike came to take part in the opening ceremonies. 


Due to the nature of our location, the majority of our fundraising came from more "southern" donors. To keep them a part of our ceremony, anyone who donated on-line got a "Thank You" heart to put on our wall of fame. We really appreciated all of your support! 


The dryness of the air eliminates the ability to use the traditional tea lights in our luminaries (fire hazard) therefore, for a safer option, we used glow sticks to light our luminaries prior to a moment of silence. 



The inaugural lap of our relay was 1km outside in the -20°C air! Spirits were high and it was amazing to see everyone out together. 


Bonnie and me :) 



Laps around our indoor and outdoor track continued for the entire night. Throughout the evening, people who weren't even on the team came to join us by walking and keeping spirits raised. 




Miss you xo 






Some yummy treats courtesy of :


Team Orange Smiles. 


Meet MWO Jim Britt. Jim is our stations construction and engineering officer (SCEO). Jim was our guest of honour for the relay as he has been cancer free since October of 2004! Participating in the survivors victory lap he did not only walk, but ran! With a goal to walk a kilometre for every year of his life (57), MWO Britt not only accomplished this but also 3km more!


As a team we completed 916kms over the duration of the night and raised $9, 000! Personally, I finished 41kms! In the words of Casey Lessard "Cancer knows no boundaries" which was reflected in the emotions shown in the isolation of the Canadian Arctic. A very intimate and moving experience, it was yet another memory in Alert that will last me a lifetime. 

7 comments:

  1. The Cyr family23 May 2012 at 08:57

    Very nice pictures Kristy. You all did an excellent job, as I knew you would. You do anything you put your mind too. Like I said before, your poppa would be so proud of you. Take care and all our best.

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  2. Kristy As your father you have made the entire family proud of this accomplishment that affects so many in our and others families. I am sure that this will be just another stepping stone for the big life you are sharing with others. Your spirit should be a lesson for all to emulate. I Love you and congradulate your efforts. Dad

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  3. This is soooo cool Kristy! I will show this post to the gals I work with and they will probably shed some tears reading it...Operating Room nurses are softies! Our Relay is the first weekend in June. Jack and I are going to participate in a cancer research project one of our nurses is heading. Not only does it mean blood will be shed...but it's blog worthy too! Congrats on a wonderful Relay. My best friend just finished her 3rd (she has a total of 8)chemo treatment. Her hair is gone, but her spirit is high and we'll be walking for her and in memory of Jack's Dad...I know your Grandfather is smiling at his amazing Grandkiddo!

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  4. What a wonderful job Kristy. If your grandfather was here he would have had tears streaming down his cheeks and justing bursting with pride, as we are. I am so glad that everyone got to meet such a special woman like you. You are right, this is a great memory for you but will also be for everyone else who participated. It was nice to see you had a candle lit for Poppy Doyle too. Can't wait till you get a bit closer to home. Love and miss you soooooo much. Mom xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

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  5. So very nice to me you Kristy. I found your through my special friend YAYA.
    I too am a cancer survivor so this was a really wonderful thing you did and thank you for sharing it on your site.
    I was curious how you came about naming your site.
    Looking forward to getting to know you and being a new follower
    Maggie

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  6. Kristy, I just read this over again after hanging up with you on the phone and again am sitting here with goosebumps and some damp eyes. You inspire so many people (including many whom you've never met!). Cannot wait to meet you in June!

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  7. Kristy, Congratulations on your first Relay event in Nunavut! I am the volunteer engagement coordinator for the Canadian Cancer Society in Windsor Ontario and seeing your pictures and reading your comments remind me of why I love what I do! Your blog brought tears to my eyes and gave me goosebumps as well.......great job bringing the fight against cancer to the most northern point of Canada! Thank you for being a fighter and thank you for making a difference!! Christine

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