Relay For Life celebration returns May 15

ARCHDALE — With a theme this year of Relay Around the World, the 2026 American Cancer Society Relay for Life of the Triad returns to Archdale on Friday, May 15. 

The event will be held at Creekside Park, 214 Park Drive, with activities being held from 6 to 10 p.m. Relay for Life of the Triad includes teams from Randolph, Guilford, Davidson, Davie and Forsyth counties. The presenting sponsor is Cone Health.

Relay celebrates survivors and remembers those lost to cancer. Accordingly, kicking things off will be a survivors and caregivers lap and survivors can sign-up for the walk at www.relayforlife.org/triadnc. Luminaria will be lit in memory of those who have lost their battle with cancer. There will be food, music, cake walks, and activities for the whole family.

This year more than 2 million new cancer cases are expected to be diagnosed in the United States, some 71,000 in North Carolina. Cancer is the second-most common cause of death in America after heart disease. The American Cancer Society raises funds through Relay For Life and other means to find cures and for prevention from the disease.

“Relay For Life is more than just a walk. It is a volunteer-led movement that unites communities to celebrate cancer survivors, remember loved ones lost to cancer and raise funds to improve the lives of people with cancer and their families,” said Leah Schomaker, with the ACS staff. “Thanks to that shared passion, we are working to help the American Cancer Society advance its mission through advocacy, research and patient support in an effort to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to prevent, detect, treat and survive cancer.”

Dr. Gordy Klatt of Tacoma, WA, founded Relay For Life in 1985 in honor of his own cancer patients. The movement expanded across the country, arriving in Randolph County in the 1990s.

Since 1985, Relay For Life has raised $6.9 billion to help save lives from cancer. Relay For Life of the Triad raised more than $300,000 for the American Cancer Society’s mission in 2025.

Dollars raised each year by more than 160,000 Relay participants across the country help support the American Cancer Society’s mission in countless ways, including funding and conducting breakthrough research, providing education, advocating for the needs of cancer patients and their families, and providing essential services throughout their cancer journey.

There are many ways to get involved in Relay For Life, including:

■ JOIN a Relay community to connect with survivors, caregivers and others impacted by cancer in your local community. Visit RelayForLife.org/triadnc to sign up for Relay and join your community in the fight against cancer.

■ DONATE: Your donation fuels the American Cancer Society’s fight against cancer. Visit RelayForLife.org/triadnc to donate to the event or create your own team today.

To learn more about Relay For Life, visit RelayForLife.org/triadnc.

The American Cancer Society is a leading cancer-fighting organization with a vision to end cancer as we know it for everyone. For more than 100 years, ACS has been improving the lives of people with cancer and their families as the only organization combating cancer through advocacy, research and patient support. The organization is committed to ensuring everyone has an opportunity to prevent, detect, treat and survive cancer.

To learn more, visit cancer.org or call our 24/7 helpline at 1-800-227-2345. Or connect on Facebook, (2) Relay For Life of the Triad, NC | Facebook

Cancer survivor providing hope for victims

Local survivors and caregivers heard from one of their own when they met May 1 for a survivors dinner at Cross Road Baptist Church. Kimberly Wyatt was the guest speaker and talked about her own experience with cancer.

A New York native now living in North Carolina, Wyatt described how she was twice diagnosed with breast cancer, both on the same side.

“I didn’t know what to do after the diagnosis,” she said of the first time in 2012. “I asked, ‘Why me?’ I called the American Cancer Society at 3 a.m. and they cried with me and laughed with me. They helped me get through chemo, then surgery. I was so sick, it was horrible. Then they said it was over.”

That is, until eight years later when another diagnosis showed that Wyatt again had breast cancer, on the same side. This was in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic when she had to undergo treatment and surgery alone. Her battle included a mastectomy and numerous scans, chemotherapy, radiation and multiple reconstruction surgeries. 

Wyatt felt alone in her battle against cancer and “felt like I was not being heard. I wanted to be that voice.”

That led her to found the Second2None Cancer Foundation. 

Its mission, according to the website, second2nonecancerfoundation.org: “We are a faith based organization. Providing Previvors, Survivors, Thrivers and their Caregivers inspiration, mentorship, education and resources. You always have a friend in us.”

The Second2None vision is: “To create a world where no one faces cancer alone, where communities come together to provide comprehensive care and unwavering support. We envision a future where every individual, regardless of their circumstances, has access to the resources, treatments, and community needed to overcome cancer and live a fulfilling life.”

Wyatt said her organization asks “What do you need? What can I help you with?

“We want to provide hope and encouragement,” she said. “There is life after cancer.”