A Gardendale woman learned late last year that she has cancer, and she is using her life to spread a positive message.

Christine Moore, 40, was diagnosed in October with colon cancer. She has had one surgery along with 28 radiation and chemotherapy treatments, and will soon face another surgery and more treatments.

“My prognosis is good,” said Moore. “God has been so faithful, so I’m holding on to that: That he will continue to be there for us.”

Moore is this year’s North Jefferson Relay For Life honorary chairperson. Relay For Life is a nationwide fund-raiser for the American Cancer Society; Relay organizers choose an honorary chairperson every year who tells his or her story and puts a face to how cancer affects individuals and families.

The North Jefferson Relay For Life annual fundraiser is scheduled for May 2, 4-10 p.m., at the Gardendale Civic Center.

Moore is happy to share her story through Relay For Life in order to raise awareness, even though she has experienced very hard days after being diagnosed.

“I’ve said and thought, ‘Why me?’” said Moore. “In that same instant, a still small voice says, ‘Why not you?’ This didn’t happen because of anything I’ve done or haven’t done. I can use this to bring awareness. If one person hears my story and gets tested and avoids being diagnosed, then my story needed to be told.”

Moore’s story began in July with a routine medical checkup.

“I turned 40 this year so they did a couple of extra tests,” she said.

One test showed an abnormality: blood in her stool.

Moore had no symptoms, and her doctor did not seem concerned. So when a GI doctor had no appointment openings until October, Moore thought it was not a big deal to wait so long.

When a colonoscopy revealed a tumor, Moore and her husband Ernie were shocked.

“The floor fell out from under us,” Moore said. “It’s so bizarre when it happens. I knew I was awake, but I felt like I was dreaming.”

The Moores planned to slowly begin telling family and friends, but word spread quickly.

“Within 48 hours, I started getting texts and calls,” said Moore. “People had heard rumors and wanted to know, ‘Is this you?’”

The Moores told their “baseball family” — their kids (Olivia, 6; Sawyer, 8; and Eli, 11) play sports — and “all the sudden, all of these blue ribbons started showing up on everybody’s Facebook profiles,” said Moore. Dark blue ribbons represent awareness for colon cancer.

“My sweet friends just wanted to show me support. It turned into me being the honorary chairperson for Relay. It’s pretty awesome.”

The Moores have been humbled by the support from their family, friends and the community.

“It completely snowballed into something unreal,” Moore said. “A group of folks just literally wanted to show me support and it turned into an incredible opportunity for the American Cancer Society.”

A benefit baseball tournament on March 21 in Gardendale brought in teams from Fultondale and Corner, and raised $8,000 for Relay For Life.

Moore will have a team at the North Jefferson Relay event to walk and do additional fund-raising, in addition to serving as the honorary chairperson.

“I want to get people aware. There’s no guarantee that any of us won’t get cancer. I’m super healthy. I eat healthy and exercise, and it still happened,” said Moore. “It’s a privilege to be able to be the face of Relay and tell people, every little bit you can give is helping.”

Now, Moore is also an advocate for regular checkups and early detection.

“I certainly don’t want to scare people, but take your health seriously,” she said. “I can’t sit back and say, ‘it’s a sensitive subject and a taboo to talk about.’ Nobody wants to talk about their digestive system, but the sad truth is that this can kill you. People need to know it’s OK to talk about it and to get checked out if you aren’t feeling well. It’s OK to get a second opinion or see a specialist. You know your body enough to know that something is going on and you need to get to the bottom of it.”