The Dempsey Challenge

Team LHS Blue Lightning members
walked, ran, and biked over the weekend.

I walked the 5K race for the Dempsey Challenge, today. This weekend is a huge fundraiser for the Patrick Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope and Healing. Generally, this weekend sees fundraising in excess of 1 million dollars. I was part of the LHS Blue Lightning team, and we raised over $1,800. Other groups and businesses raised in the 10's of thousands of dollars each. This is such a worthwhile cause as I don't think there is anyone on Earth who isn't affected by cancer in some way. I thank my teammates for helping to make this day so special.

The race from start to finish! Some of our group posed after the race.

We started the races at Simard-Payne park, traveled down Lincoln street, went over the Androscoggin River twice, and ended back at the park. Fun, fun, fun!

A few of my favorite shirts are shown here.

I decided to concentrate some of my photography on the tee shirts that people were wearing. There was such a variety of shirts all honoring people affected by cancer.

Here is another coworker of mine, with her team, honoring her mother. I also added in a few more tee shirts that I saw.

Teen helping teens, at the Dempsey Center, really touched my heart.

And, here are a few more of my favorite shirts. I was truly impressed with the Teen Group. We have such great teens, at the local high schools, who volunteer at the Dempsey Center to help others their age who are affected by cancer. 

These words say it all...

Near the end of the race, there were hand-made signs along both sides of the path. This was the part of the race where I fell apart and wept...for my sister and my cousin, as well as several of my friends and coworkers who have all died from cancer. Too many people...so much grief...

There is always beauty to behold even through suffering and sadness...

But, all was not sadness as I soaked in the gorgeous scenery along the way. I thought of Mother Nature filling our senses with beauty even with all the suffering in the world. I think of her as trying to soften the devastation we often feel with illness, and I hope that I am always able to appreciate the beauty of Earth, from the minute to the grandiose, no matter what happens in my life.