My name is Saralyn Lash.  I am a 28 year survivor of endometrial cancer.  You know what’s extra cool about that?  I’ve been a survivor for more than half of my life!  When I was diagnosed, cancer felt like it isolated me from the rest of life — no one I knew could relate to the pain, feelings, and new realities that cancer brought with it.

Fast forward a few years, my friend, Kay, who is also a survivor, changed my life forever when she invited me to Relay For Life in Wooster, Ohio.  When I went to my first Relay For Life in 1998, the feelings of isolation melted away.  It was the first time since my diagnosis that I felt like I belonged — because I did belong.  I was now part of a community of cancer-fighters.  This sense of belonging helped heal my spirit in ways that nothing else was able to do.

As I have become more involved in the fight against cancer, I also have became a caregiver for friends.  It is been my privilege to emotionally support two specific friends through their terminal diagnosis, life-prolonging treatments and, eventually, end of life.

When I talk about my own recovery from cancer, I talk about peace, love and purple.  I was loved by my family—especially by my mom, my caregiver.  The purple is the healing from Relay For Life.  And, the peace?  The peace comes from continuing to fight cancer.  I am a Relayer.  We may only be on the track a few hours a year, but being a Relayer year-round provides ways that I can fight back every day.

Relay For Life has really become part of my identity.  I am a Relay For Life Team Captain, a member of multiple Event Leadership Teams, a Voice of Hope,  a member of the Cancer Action Network and I currently serve as the National Relay For Life Volunteer Lead.

HOPE is more than a word—it’s a way of life!