I’m Pat Johnson, and I relay for research—because without it, I’d be a widow.
What started as my husband’s cough and weight loss back in 2017 turned out to be something far more serious. During the six long months, the doctors congratulated for losing weight, showed no concern about the blood in his urine, and no one thought to do a complete blood count—not even at his annual physical. After half a year of unanswered questions, we finally pushed for more testing. That’s when our world came crashing down with the diagnosis: kidney cancer.
At his very first follow-up CT scan, we learned it had already progressed to stage four and metastasized to his lungs, lymph nodes, and eventually his back. Immunotherapy was still fairly new at that time—just coming out of clinical trials—but he started treatment the following month. Fast forward to today, and I’m beyond grateful to say that he’s doing well.
Before his diagnosis, I attended a few Relay For Life events here and there since 2007. After living through this experience, I knew I had to do more. From 2021 to 2025, I proudly served as the Event Lead for Relay For Life of Central Virginia (formerly South of the James). This opened my eyes to just how much the American Cancer Society does—not only for cancer patients, but for their families as well—and how vital it is to keep that work going.
I live in Powhatan, Virginia with my husband, Ferriel, and our pups, Volt and Faith. I’m looking forward to retiring next year and finally having more time to travel—and to live, love, and laugh every single day.
I look forward to sharing “Our” story. It’s more than just our story—it’s a reminder of how important it is to advocate for yourself and for the people you love.