Relay for Life team raises money for Noblesville resident
By Anna Skinner
On April 13, the Relay for Life team “Nickels Back” held their first shopping extravaganza as a fundraiser for Relay for Life and the American Cancer Society. Various venders sold items such as jewelry, purses, flowers, cupcakes and more to raise money for the cause.
“Nickels Back” was inspired by Noblesville resident Beth Nickels and her battle with a rare form of carcinoma. Last year the team raised $2,000, and this year the hope to double that.
The name of the team was inspired from the band Nickelback and their song “Rockstar”. When someone referred to Nickels as a rock star for what she was going through, she used that to inspire the Relay for Life team name.
“I was diagnosed last year in January,” Nickels said. “I had gone to the dentist in November and the dentist does a cancer check and noticed I had a lump in my neck.” On Martin Luther King Day the next January, Nickels found time and went to the doctor. After some tests, she discovered she had a rare form of stage four carcinoma that began in her sinuses by her skull. Nickels said the cancer was a surprise because that type of cancer is normally only found in middle-aged Asian men.
“It was so far back in my head that there are no symptoms until stage four where it traveled to my lymph nodes,” Nickels said.
Although surgery was not an option because of the location, after months of chemotherapy and radiation, Nickels can finally say she is cancer free.
This year, Forest Park will welcome back Relay for Life on May 9. The 24-hour relay takes place on a two mile walk where teams switch on and off to always have someone walking. At night, luminaries will be lit to honor those who died from cancer or to encourage those currently battling.
“Relay for Life is a community team fundraising event,” Cara Roach, Noblesville’s Relay for Life community manager, said. “We have an opening ceremony to honor survivors and their caregivers and a reception afterwards. Team members will be walking throughout the day.”
Thirty teams are currently registered, and each team fundraises before and during the event. There is an opening ceremony and a reception to honor the cancer survivors.
“There will be a live band performing, lots of music, food, children’s activities and a luminary ceremony once it gets dark. Our goal is to raise $90,000, and all funds go to the American Cancer Society,” Roach said.
Anyone interested in registering can register online at relayforlife.org/noblesvillein or they can register at the event.
“Really we just want to encourage survivors and caregivers to come out,” Roach said. “We have a survivor lap to open our event so survivors wear purple shirts that say ‘survivor’ on the back, and we really want to honor them. We have food from Chick-fil-a and Famous Dave’s. Anybody who is a cancer survivor or a caregiver and wanted to come out and celebrate we would really appreciate it.”
LEARN MORE
What: Noblesville Relay for Life
Where: Forest Park, 701 Cicero Rd., Noblesville
When: 10 a.m. May 9 – 10 a.m. May 10
Contact: If you would like to register a team, contact LuAnn Harger, the community chairperson, at 753-0657 or at [email protected]
Facebook: Noblesville Relay for Life
