Hundreds rally at Springfield's Relay for Life

The Relay for Life of Windsor County was held outside Riverside Middle School on Saturday to raise funding, and awareness, for the American Cancer Society.
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Hundreds rally at Springfield's Relay for Life By Chris Garofolo | Jun 30, 2014 Photo by: Chris Garofolo Cancer survivors complete the inaugural lap during Saturday night's American Cancer Society's Relay for Life of Windsor County in Springfield. Relay for Life of Windsor County 2014 Kelli Dufresne, chairwoman of the Relay, welcomes all participants during a brief opening ceremony around 6 p.m. Saturday. (Photo by: Chris Garofolo) View More... SPRINGFIELD — Montpelier native Richard Swenson was told on April Fools’ Day he had cancer. A skeptical Swenson, still just a teenager back in 1998, thought the information coming from his father was simply a joke. “I started to laugh. I was 15, immature and it was April Fools’ Day after all. He interrupted my laughter and said it was no joke and I did indeed have cancer: Stage 2 Hodgkin’s lymphoma to be exact. And so the journey begins,” said Swenson, who now lives in Grantham, New Hampshire with his fiancée. Friends and family rallied around him as he went through eight months of chemotherapy and later a month of radiation. But the cancer returned three years later, and the young man battled back a second time; the experience led him to become one of the most vocal supporters of the American Cancer Society in central Vermont. “When I was first diagnosed, I did not know what the American Cancer Society was ... I was a freshman in high school at U32 high school in Montpelier [and] I was an active three-season athlete participating in baseball, track, basketball and soccer,” he said. “I’m now 15 years cancer free.” Swenson was one of the hundreds to gather Saturday night for the annual American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life of Windsor County. The ballfield behind Riverside Middle School in Springfield transformed into a makeshift track lined with specially decorated Luminaria bags, each containing a candle and the name of a family member who survived cancer or succumbed to it. The Springfield-based relay, now in its third year at the middle school, is one of roughly 20 throughout the Green Mountain State. There are more than 6,000 global events annually to raise funding, and awareness, for the American Cancer Society. “We are here to dream big, hope big and relay big,” said Kelli Dufresne, chairwoman of the Windsor County event. “But most importantly, we are here to finish the fight against cancer. I’m so proud to be standing here with all of you as part of an international movement to end cancer.” The perfect blue sky held strong throughout the night, as walkers continued until 6 a.m. Sunday. Music from hip-hop to golden oldies blasted from the event’s DJ station to promote the unofficial motto throughout the evening — silence is the last thing needed to help in finding the cure for cancer. “While each of us as a unique reason for being here, we all have something very much in common — we all want to end cancer for good. We have gathered as a community, demanded that those facing cancer will be supported and that those who have lost their battle with cancer will not be forgotten,” said Dufresne, walking on behalf of her father and “meme.” Her sister, Jen Kendall, serves as chairwoman to the survivor and caregiver committee. She said being in her current role is her way to dedicate to the fight against cancer. “Meeting and getting to know all the survivors is a wonderful experience and something that I hold close to my heart,” Kendall said. Teams made up of families, friends, local clubs and office groups wore T-shirts as they strolled around the grassy circle for hours. Vendors sold snacks and bottled water, one booth offered 10-minute massages until well-past midnight. As for Swenson, 2014 was his first year participating in the Windsor County event. He serves as a lead organizer for the Central Vermont Relay for Life, walking not only for himself, but for a dear friend he lost as a young man to cancer.