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Relay Announces Honorary Co-Chairmen

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Hannah Reeves — Hannah was diagnosed with B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in March 2018. What makes her different than the other co-chairs is that she is the youngest and is still in high school. Her treatment has included chemotherapy, steroid shots, and many doses of antibiotics.
She says her supporters are Natalie, Kevin, Libby and her many aunts, uncles, and cousins. She also lists her many friends and fellow students at Huntingdon High School. According to Reeves, all of her support group made food, called daily, and visited regularly.
Hannah said when she was first told she had cancer she became nervous, scared, worried, and confused.
“Keep your friends and family close, and it’s ok to be scared and to complain and keep your life as normal as possible”, advises Hannah.
Ruth Eason — Ruth was diagnosed with Stage 2 Breast Cancer in November 2018. She has had eight rounds of chemotherapy and will also take some radiation treatments. She did not experience sickness with her treatments and was able to continue working and enjoying activities with her family. According to Ruth, her husband has been with her every step of the way. She says her daughters, siblings and their families have been her prayer partners and supporters. Her church family and her work group have provided great moral support. She says her faith in God has helped her to stay positive and the peace she has felt and continues to feel is amazing.
Ruth says when she was diagnosed with cancer, she was stunned and frightened. She says peace eventually came when she realized how many people were praying for her. She credits the Lord for her strength.
She would tell anyone who has just been diagnosed that cancer is not a death sentence, because so many advancements have been made over the years and continue to be made. The cancer survival rate increases all the time.
Cary Don Smith — Cary Don was diagnosed with Stage 4 Melanoma in February 2002. He was referred to Vanderbilt for surgery which included removal of all lymph nodes in the upper chest. Two years later, three small nodules were detected in his left lung. Surgery was performed to remove the lower half of that lung. He was asked to participate in a melanoma study by M.D. Anderson in Texas and went to Vanderbilt for painful injections every two weeks for the next year.
He says his support group includes his wife, Judy, and daughters, Tina, Jennifer and Julie. He also named his friends, and brother, the late Fred Ward, as well as his church family at Huntingdon First Baptist Church. Smith says he was able to keep a positive attitude because of encouraging family and friends.

After recovering from surgery, he was able to return to work at the Carroll County Electric Department and the Clarksburg Police Department. He says the work was good medicine for him by being able to keep busy.
Cary Don says that when he was first told he had cancer, he immediately thought about how his dad had suffered with his chemo and radiation treatments for lung cancer. His advice to anyone facing cancer is to “keep your faith, stay strong, and never give up. Depend on your family and friends for support and for the love they can give you.”
Candi Lowe — Candi was diagnosed in October 2010 with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma of the left breast. She had to take two different kinds of chemotherapy every three weeks for six months. She says she would do ok after treatments until the third day and then have to be in bed for a day or two.
She credits her husband Nick for having a lot on him taking care of her and their daughter, Alyse, who was four years old at the time. Lowe is thankful for all their family and friends who checked on them, brought food, along with lots of prayers. Candi says she prayed for strength to get through everything and tried to stay strong and positive for her daughter.
“It hit me like a ton of bricks,” said Candi about finding out she had cancer, “But once I had time to process everything, I made up my mind to fight with every ounce of energy I had and everything would be ok.”
As for what Candi would tell a newly diagnosed cancer patient, “pray and stay positive. I know its hard, but a positive outlook helps tremendously! I also always tried to think that hopefully somewhere along the way that I can also help someone else.”
Meklisha Ridgely — Meklisha was diagnosed with HER2-Negative breast cancer in October 2018. Her treatment has included 16 chemotherapy treatments, the removal of 28 lymph nodes, and six weeks of radiation. According to her, she was fatigued and sick at times, but continued working part-time.
As for support, “I’ve had the support of a wonderful family, church family, and great friends. I received numerous phone calls, texts, visits, cards, and words of encouragement and prayers.” Meklisha also said she kept positive by putting her faith in God and not just the doctors.
When she learned she had cancer, “I was devastated, scared, worried and unsure of my future. I asked many times why did this happen to me and what did I do to deserve this?”
Meklisha’s advice to a newly diagnosed cancer patient includes “put your trust in God, the great physician and healer. Keep a positive attitude. Enjoy the good days and live every day to the fullest and keep fighting!

Relay, Relay for Life