Cancer survivor will celebrate 60th at Relay for Life
- Terri Eley will celebrate her 60th birthday Saturday at Relay for Life.
- Relay kicks off at 2 p.m. Saturday and continues until 10 a.m. Sunday.
- Eley will be speaking at the event’s opening ceremony.
NEWARK – Terri Eley celebrated her 40th birthday at the hospital waiting for her next chemotherapy treatment.
She was battling breast cancer, had lost her hair and was so sick that she could barely walk up the stairs.
But Eley believed that quitting was not an option. She was determined to see her 41st birthday and many more after that.
On Saturday, she’ll celebrate her 60th birthday, surrounded by family and friends at Relay for Life of Licking County.
But for Eley, of Newark, marking her 20th year as a breast cancer survivor and celebrating a milestone birthday will just be part of the day.
“Being a survivor isn’t enough if I’m not using what I have endured to help mentor others facing similar circumstances,” she said.
Eley will be featured as one of the speakers who will help kick off the event. She’ll share her story and her reason for coming back to the Evans Athletic Complex every year.
“Being actively involved with Relay and raising money to benefit others gives me a sense of purpose and a different outlook on life,” she said. “If this helps one person, it’s worth it.”
‘Never a quitter’
Eley was a busy mom raising three children in February of 1995, when a lump in her breast brought her world to a screeching halt.
Several women in her family had breast cancer, but she was still shocked to find out she had stage 2 cancer, which had metastasized to her lymph nodes.
She had a radical mastectomy and went through chemotherapy, determined to see all three of her children graduate.
She continued homeschooling them from her couch, even when she felt incredible sick, her husband Ken Eley said.
“She was never a quitter,” Ken said. “She was always trying to say, ‘I’m going to keep at this and get by.’ That’s why she’s sitting here today.”
One day, Ken found Terri in the basement, walking on the treadmill on one of the lowest settings.
“She had decided it was time to start walking and she was determined,” Ken said. “She was a fighter.”
On her darkest days during treatment, it was hard for Terri to imagine she would ever get her energy back.
But she worked with a personal trainer at the Licking County Family YMCA to regain her strength and the movement she lost during surgery.
Now she runs 5Ks and keeps up with all the toddlers in the preschool classes she teaches at the Y.
She and Ken are the proud grandparents of seven.
“God isn’t finished with my journey yet,” Eley said.
‘A life changing event’
Eley attended her first Relay for Life event several years ago and was amazed to see children who were cancer survivors.
A lover of all kids, she was motivated to get more involved.
For the last few years, she’s helped lead a Relay team, Family of Fighters, which is made up of survivors, family members and friends. This year, the team has already reached its goal of $1,000 and is hoping to raise at least $2,000.
During Relay for Life teams like Eley’s will walk around the track while working to raise money for the American Cancer Society. Over the last two years, the event has raised $220,000 for the organization, said event chairwoman Amy Gartner.
So far, 38 teams will be participating in Saturday’s event, which continues into Sunday morning. About $40,000 has been raised so far and Gartner is hoping $90,000 will be raised by the end of the weekend.
In years past, Licking County’s Relay has been an 18-hour event. This year, the event will last 20 hours, giving participants more time to walk and participate in activities, Gartner said.
This year’s theme is Carnival of Hope and there will be lots of carnival food and games as well as Zumba, live music and a pancake breakfast on Sunday morning.
Any member of the public is welcome to stop by, participate in the fun and make a donation, she said.
At dusk on Saturday, there will be a luminaria ceremony. Participants and members of the public are invited to purchase a luminaria in memory of a loved one.
“It is really a life changing event. We are there to celebrate the lives of people who have battled, remember those who we’ve lost and fight back against this horrible disease,” Gartner said. “So every little bit counts, every penny, nickle and dime.”
‘Such a memorable event’
Eley loves everything about Relay, but one of her favorite moments is the survivor lap.
Wearing matching shirts, all the survivors at the event walk the track, carrying balloons they release at the end of their lap.
“You become friends with people, you see them and it motivates you,” she said. “It’s energizing and uplifting, there’s hope there.”
At first she was hesitant when Gartner asked her to share her story during the opening ceremony, but now she’s looking forward to it.
“I need to do this,” she said. “I don’t want to miss out on being a blessing for someone else.”
Over the years, Eley has mentored many people battling cancer, offering them her story and prayers for healing. She’s hoping she can reach and inspire even more people on Saturday.
To celebrate her birthday, she and Ken have been asking people to make a donation to Relay. Some people have been donating $60 in honor of her 60th.
She’s incredibly thankful to be celebrating at Relay.
“What better place to spend (my birthday). Being around all the other survivors, we’ll be all together,” she said. “It’s just going to be such a memorable event.”
ajeffries@newarkadvocate.com
740-328-8544
Twitter: @amsjeffries
IF YOU GO
What: Relay for Life of Licking County
When: 2 p.m. Saturday to 10 a.m. Sunday
Where: Evans Athletic Complex, 950 Sharon Valley Road, Newark
Cost: Free and open to the public. All donations will go to the American Cancer Society
More info: Go to main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLCY15EC?pg=entry&fr_id=66001 or facebook.com/groups/80606847288/