August 4, 2006

Rising to the occasion

Campbell’s Relay For Life seen as testament to community’s spirit, activism

By Candy Richter
Staff Writer

There are many reasons why Relay For Life is the number one fundraiser for the American Cancer Society.

Luminaria Bags line the track at buccaneer Stadium during the seventh Annual Campbell Relay For Life. The luminaria bags are tributes to friends and family affected by cancer.

In fact, a visit to the Campbell Community Center’s Buccaneer Stadium on July 15 would have offered about 1,300 of those reasons – walking the track, working the tent-site fundraisers, rallying for a cause.

Now in its seventh year and going strong, Campbell’s annual Relay For Life event has developed a reputation as not only an important community fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, but also as a welcoming, high-energy event that has attracted teams from all over the San Jose area and beyond.

Teams like Elana Aalways Smiles of Cambrian and the All Ameri-cancer Fighters of Santa Clara are perfect examples of dedicated groups from outside the 95008 ZIP code that have chosen Buccaneer Stadium as their Relay site. And while each team has a different reason that has brought them to Relay, all have come together for a common purpose; awareness, community and hope.

Eleana Aal…ways smiles
Watching 8-year-old Elana Aal run through the grass, it’s hard to believe that this energetic, colt of a girl is fighting osteogenic sarcoma – bone cancer. Until you realize that under her colorful bandana she is completely bald – one of the side effects of chemotherapy treatments.

On April 11 what started out as a simple shoulder injury ended up after one month, an x-ray, scan and biopsy, with the diagnosis every parent dreads: Your child has cancer. Fortunately, Elana’s tumor had not metastasized and remained localized.

“A week from the day Elana had her biopsy, she had her port implanted and started her chemotherapy,” said Elana’s mom Julie Aal. “She’s been through three rounds of chemotherapy.”

“Elana really takes this in great stride and she’s very pro-active in her own care,” said Aal. “She has a very positive outlook – if she had hair you would have no idea she was sick.”

Team members from Elana Aalways Smiles gather with 8-year-old Elana Aal (center) at their tent site during the Campbell Relay for Life event. Aal was diagnosed with bone cancer on May 10 of this year, and underwent vascularized fibular transplant surgery on July 31. According to mom, Julie, (far right) Elana is recovering beautifully.
Update on Elana Aal After a few weeks’ delay, Elana came through her surgery at Stanford on July 31 with flying colors. It took eight surgeons about 11 hours, but according to Julie Aal, they were “pleased with the results” calling Elena “one tough chick.” Having passed the first crucial 48-hour period, Elena’s next hurdle will be her five-day post surgery progress. If she can sustain her excellent condition through that timeline, she’s well on her way. “Elena’s leg will be in cast for about two to three weeks,” said Aal. “Then in a wheelchair until her leg has rehabilitated enough to walk – about six weeks.’ With the smaller size of the fibula compared to the arm’s bones, Elana’s arm will be in a cast for about six to eight weeks and then on to occupational therapy. Once the orthopedic surgeon has cleared Elena, she will resume chemotherapy for approximately12–15 months.

Aal explained that the original treatment plan for Elana was to remove her shoulder joint and part of her collarbone. The only replacement plans were for a metal implant that would have left Elana’s shoulder completely immobile.

“[The implant] had no structure and would have been really debilitating,” said Aal. “So we searched for other surgical opinions.”

After meeting with various oncology orthopedic surgeons, including Stanford’s Dr. David Mohler, Julie and Richard Aal decided to pursue the recommendation of a vascularized fibular transplant from Elana’s right leg to her left arm. In this procedure, the bone, growth plate and the blood supply are transplanted to the new site. This will allow the new bone to grow with the body and give her mobility.

With Elana’s diagnosis only two months earlier, Team Elana Aalways Smiles didn’t have much time to gather together, especially for a first-timer like Aal, with an already full plate. She and team co-captain Sue Ellen Haggerty, also a beginner, had guidance from five-year Relay veteran and team member Carol Hoffman, who helped Haggerty as co-captain.

“It took until about a week ago until there were more than five of us on the team,” said Aal “I think that people weren’t really educated on what the Relay For Life was all about, so I really expect that we’ll have a bigger turnout for next year.”

Even with short notice, Elana Aalways Smiles had 12 team members and is still fundraising in the community.

The All Ameri-cancer Fighters
Outfitted in the expected red, white and blue that their name would imply, the team helmed by Julie Simonia and Cindy Howell has been a fixture of Campbell Relay for the past six years. But, unlike most relay participants who ease into the experience by first joining a team and then working their way up to manning a team of their own, Simonia took the bull by the horns and came in as team captain her very first year.

“We got started six years ago when a woman that was on the [Relay] committee back then invited me to join Relay For Life,” said Simonia. After checking that she would be free on the event date Simonia agreed, thinking she would be joining up with an already established Relay team.

“I thought I was going to join her team, and then she said ‘you should be a captain’ and that’s how I started out,” said Simonia.

She quickly recruited her friends, including best friend Cindy Howell who had recently lost her mother to cancer. Howell has been an All Ameri-cancer Fighter team member ever since.

“That’s part of the reason why I originally joined in, because of Cindy and her mom, who I never met,” said Simonia. “Since then, I’ve lost so many people, and so many friends have been diagnosed with cancer.”
This year the team has formed a unique partnership with one of the community organizations in Santa Clara. Howell was a member of the Briarwood-El Camino Little League board when their president, Chris Contreras, sponsored a breast cancer awareness day at the field.

Howell approached Contreras with the idea of the All Ameri-cancer Fighters coming over as a team to the field to sell items supporting their fundraising efforts for Relay For Life. Contreras was totally supportive and the rest was fundraising history.

“She let us come in, Baskin Robbins came in, we had a silent auction and every single penny that came in, she gave to us for our team,” said Howell. “In six hours we made about $1,200, and we really didn’t have to do anything, and we’re going to work together from this point forward.”

Aside from their partnership with Briarwood-El Camino, all of the team’s fundraising comes from on-site or word-of-mouth sales of purses and the unique bead-work jewelry that both ladies sport.

Volunteer facepainter Cassie Zimmerman of Team Gayle puts the finishing touches on Sydney Leibl with the Rallying with Richard Brett Team at the 2006 Campbell Relay For Life.

Although both Simonia and Howell and most of their team members are from the Santa Clara/Sunnyvale area and have participated in the Relay there, they definitely prefer Campbell’s “awesome community spirit.”

“We’ve done the Santa Clara Relay,” said Howell. “And this one is just more homey. It’s bigger and we keep on coming back.”

In 2006 all that dedication and loyalty finally paid off. During closing ceremonies when Relay Chair Jenna Boyce announced the top five fundraisers, the All Ameri-cancer Fighters finally moved into the number one slot, bringing in a team total of $25, 117 and edging out the Price Waterhouse Cooper team.

“We thought we weren’t going to place at all, said Simonia. “And my heart was sinking. But Jenna knew, that’s why she [announced] first place before second place, she knew!

Closing a chapter of Campbell Relay
For the past five years, Campbell Relay has had a Boyce at the helm. First Margie for three years, then daughter Jenna followed the family tradition and chaired the fundraising event last year and this year. But just as all good things must eventually come to an end, so must the Boyce legacy pass on to others.

“It’s time,” said Boyce. “Relay needs new blood, it can only get better and I’m so confident of the hands its in next year – we have two great chairs.”

With a financial goal of $330,000 for 2006, Campbell Relay has already surpassed their target at $345,000 with still a two week to go before the official close of the Relay season on August 31. This achievement has placed Campbell Relay in an elite group of non-profit events that has seen positive gains, especially in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and other disasters that have funneled money away from many charity coffers.

Boyce attributes Campbell’s success to the community at large, the ability of the team captains to pull their teams together, loyal repeat participation, great entertainment and the student groups.

“When else can you get 300 youth together and throw a big party and make as much noise as they want?” said Boyce.

According to incoming Relay Chair Meghan Criswell, she’s “glad to have most of the same committee members returning” to keep the same rhythm and flow of the 2006 Relay for 2007.

“Jenna did such a great job as chair, I have some pretty big shoes to fill,” said Criswell. “I’m glad she’s still going to be on the committee.”

Criswell said that the goal is all about progress. To build on Relay’s successes, they aim to keep the same teams coming back and offer great entertainment. She added that a personal goal of hers was to get to know the teams on a more individual level.

“Campbell is like one big family,” said Criswell. “The camaraderie is just amazing.”