Robbi Beauchamp may not have battled cancer herself, but because of a family experience, she strives to support those affected by it and show them they are not alone.
New Year's Eve will mark the sixth anniversary of when Beauchamp's sister-in-law lost her battle with breast cancer.
"I have one brother--she was his wife--and we watched her go through that very aggressive form of breast cancer," Beauchamp said. "The whole time she was an advocate for education, and she was just a real inspiration to watch."
During that time, Beauchamp and her sister-in-law talked about Relay for Life and ways to become involved in their separate communities.
"My friends at work formed a Relay for Life team," Beauchamp said, "and they thought, because it was just a real hard blow for me since she was more like a sister, and I was grieving pretty hard, that would be a good thing for me to do to help process my grief and get involved."
Beauchamp is in her fourth year as the event chair for the Lee County Relay for Life.
She tried to step down as event chair merely to give someone else a chance for the position, but decided to stick with it after others asked her to stay at least another year.
"The thing that keeps me going is that cancer is always there," Beauchamp said. "You always find a fresh reason to not give up because you feel like you are actually doing something that's helping."
The Relay for Life event takes place each spring, and the group has other activities throughout the year. Most people think of the event as a race, but it is called a relay because the participants tag off and rotate with others on the team for 12 hours, according to Beauchamp.
The relay is an international event, and more than 3.5 million people participate every year.
Although the event raises money for the American Cancer Society, Beauchamp said it's not only about the money.
"It's about the relationship, and it's about a community coming together for the fight," Beauchamp said. "You can't beat that in life."
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