Dozens of local cancer survivors and many more caregivers and supporters united Wednesday morning for a breakfast reunion to commemorate a cancer-free life, and to gear up for Friday’s Relay for Life walk.

If You Go

Relay For Life of Cullman County will be Friday, May 4, beginning at 6 p.m. and ending at midnight, at the Cullman County Fairgrounds, 1501 Sportsman Lake Road NW, Cullman (relayforlife.org/cullmanal).

Associate Cullman County Commissioner Garry Marchman gave the event’s keynote address at the Cullman Church of Christ Wednesday morning, emotionally recounting his life-threatening encounter with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. 

Marchman was diagnosed with lymphoma in the summer of 2015, and his condition quickly worsened when his kidneys and liver failed, and when his first round of chemotherapy placed him in UAB’s intensive care unit for nine days. His story resonated with many in the room, from those who’ve lost loved ones to the disease, to those in the early stages of recovery, to others who’ve remained cancer-free for a decade or more. 

In addition to bringing survivors together, the breakfast also provides an annual lead-in to the Relay for Life walk itself, which this year will be held Friday at the Cullman County Fairgrounds. 

“We always meet for breakfast on the Wednesday before Relay for Life, and it’s kind of like a family reunion for a lot of us,” explained Gail Crutchfield, who helps organize the event each year. “Some people don’t see each other until the next Relay breakfast, so it’s a nice way for us all to reunite and celebrate survival.”

This year’s Relay marks the event’s 25th year in Cullman. “The first one was held in 1994, and was done in honor of Jimmy Gilley,” said Crutchfield. “It remains a completely local, all-volunteer effort to raise money for the American Cancer Society. And it’s all about coming together to celebrate survivors, and remember those we’ve lost.” 

Relay for Life will begin at 6 p.m. Friday, May 4 at the Cullman County Fairgrounds. Proceeds raised locally go to the American Cancer Society, which returns the money to the patient and caregiver community through research funding and support. Contact Helen Allen (helen@weltimail.com) or Gail Crutchfield (gailc220@yahoo.com) for more information about how you can get involved.

Tentative Schedule. All contests are approximate and subject to change.

5 p.m. Survivor Dinner

6 p.m. Opening Ceremony

Color Guard

National Anthem

Invocation

Speaker – Hero of Hope

6:45 p.m. Survivor Walk Across Stage

7 p.m. Survivor Lap

7:15 p.m. Caregiver Lap

7:30 p.m. Team Lap/Banner Judging

7:45 p.m. Sponsors Lap

8 p.m. Wallace State Talent Show Winners. Tent Judging

8:30 p.m. Tee Shirt Contest

9 p.m. Luminaria Service

9:30 p.m. Bra Competition– Males must wear T-shirt underneath

9:45 p.m. Boxer Shorts Competition* – Females must wear tights / leggings underneath

10 p.m. Spirit Stick Competition. All ticket drawings must be at the STAGE – Drawings will be done after Spirit Stick Competition

10:30 p.m. Womanless Beauty Competition*

11 p.m. Relay Lip-Sync Battle*

11:30 p.m. Closing Ceremony. Fight Back Ceremony Speaker