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Bailee Schingel, 10, and her best friend, Gabi Knecht, 10, pose for a photo together. Schingel fought and survived leukemia last year and is now in complete remission and is doing better every day, Gabi's mother, Kelly Knecht, said. The Knechts recently moved from Peotone to Chebanse, where they met the Schingels. The Knecht family walked in last year's Peotone Relay for Life in honor of Bailee and they plan to do the same again this year, on the Dancers for Cancers relay team. Relay for Life will be honoring all cancer survivors at a Survivor Dinner and during the opening ceremonies of the relay.
Relay for Life honors survivors  Share
On June 7, communities across the country celebrated National Cancer Survivors Day. ''Celebrate the lives of those who have battled cancer. The strength of survivors inspires others to continue to fight. Remember loved ones lost to the disease. At Relay, people who have walked alongside people battling cancer can grieve and find healing. Fight back. We relay because we have been touched by cancer and desperately want to put an end to the disease,'' the Relay for Life Web site says about why people participate in Relay for Life. The National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation defines a survivor as ''anyone living with a history of cancer Ð from the moment of diagnosis through the remainder of life.'' Cancer survivors will be honored at Peotone's Relay for Life on July 31 at 5 p.m. for a Survivor Dinner and at 6 p.m. during the opening ceremonies. Any cancer survivor, along with one of their care givers, is invited to the Survivor Dinner, which will be held one hour before the opening ceremonies. This is a time change from previous years.
Peotone's Relay for Life will be held at the Peotone Junior High School, beginning at 4 p.m. on July 31 with a survivor check-in. The ceremony starts at a 6 p.m., followed by a survivor lap and a team banner lap. There will be a luminaria ceremony featuring a visual memorial at 9 p.m. Brightly lit luminarias will line the track to celebrate and remember those who have lost their lives to cancer or are still battling the disease. This year's ceremony will also feature a visual memorial, a photo slideshow with pictures of loved ones. A Fight Back ceremony will be held at midnight, followed by the closing ceremonies at 5:30 a.m. on August 1. Luminarias can be purchased for $10 and visual memorials, which include a luminaria, can be purchased for $15. Forms, payment and photos are due by Tuesday, July 28. As of June 5, 18 teams and 118 participants have signed up to participate in this year's relay. There is still time to sign up to walk in the event or to volunteer on the day of the event. Relay for Life volunteers will begin painting the town purple on Monday, July 6, and will be combing Peotone on July 11. They will be hanging up ribbons and signs on participating area businesses and homes and are asking the community to participate, as well. For more information, to sign up a survivor or a team, or to purchase luminarias or visual memorials, visit www.relayforlifepeotone.com. All essential forms can be found on the Web site. Those interested can also contact event chairperson Stacey Morris at newhope2000@comcast.net or at (708) 341-9266. Katie Carr is a reporter for Russell Publications.
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