Fighting disease

Relay for Life in Pines raises more than $143K

Relay for Life of Pembroke Pines raised more than $143,000, surpassing the $135,000 goal, during the recent overnight American Cancer Society fundraiser at Walter C. Young Middle School.

The Pines event has raised more than $3 million over 17 years.

“I’ve been a proud Relayer for many years,” said event co-chairwoman Kristi Krueger. “We’ve raised a lot of money. We’re just here to celebrate and have fun.”

The global event celebrates cancer survivors, honors those who died of the disease and raises money for research.

For the Pines event, 44 teams with 615 participants walked the school’s track.

“Once they go on the track, there is someone from each team on the track at all times,” said Francie Novo, the city’s special events coordinator. “There’s no end to the track because there’s no end to the fight until we find a cure.”

Vice Mayor Iris Siple, who is in remission from colon cancer, was pleased to see a large youth turnout.

“The young people are learning what it means to give back to the community,” she said.

The event was part of the healing process for the loved ones of Debra Davis, a Pembroke Pines parks specialist who died April 5 after a two-year battle with colon cancer.

Her supporters created a team and donned bright pink shirts “for memorial sake and because the city has been there for me and

Debra throughout this entire journey,” said her husband, Ricky Davis. “It’s been really rough.”

Michele Lear, a one-year breast cancer survivor, joined for the first time the team from the city’s charter schools; she is a speech pathologist at the Central Campus. The mother of two had a bilateral mastectomy and underwent six months of chemotherapy.

“Losing my hair was hard to go through,” Lear said, adding that her husband shaved his head in solidarity.

Wearing survivor medals, Lear and the other cancer survivors led participants in the ceremonial first lap around the track before being joined by their caregivers in purple sashes and other participants.

“I’m just happy to

be here,” Lear said.

Relay for Life events are staged in cities throughout Broward. Miramar’s event at the Ansin Sports Complex raised more than $13,000, and Davie/Cooper City’s at Western High School brought in more than $65,000.