Local News

<< Previous   of   Next >> Darren Breen / The Herald  (click to enlarge) Julie Safley was diagnosed with an aggressive type of breast cancer when she was 29. Now 31, she and her fiance, Greg Schwab, live in Lynnwood.   ADVERTISEMENT   Upcoming Relay for Life events Lynnwood: Noon Saturday to 9 a.m. Sunday, Lynnwood High School, 3001 184th St. SW Stanwood-Camano Island: 6 p.m. May 30 to noon May 31, Stanwood High School, 7400 272 St. NW Monroe: 10 a.m. May 31 to 8 a.m. June 1, Sky River Park, 818 Village Way Everett: Noon May 31 to 9 a.m. June 1, Cascade High School, 801 E. Casino Road Marysville: Noon June 7 to 8 a.m. June 8, Marysville-Pilchuck High School, 5611 108th St. NE For more information, call the American Cancer Society at 800-227-2345.   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Monday, May 12, 2008 Relay gives Lynnwood cancer fighter hope By Sharon Salyer Herald Writer LYNNWOOD -- Still fatigued and achy from chemotherapy, the 2 1/2 hours Julie Safley spent circling the Lynn­wood High School track last year must have seemed more like a marathon. "Everything hurt," Safley said of the laps she walked as part of the American Cancer Society's annual Relay for Life. Along the way, she found encouragement in the hand-lettered messages written on luminarias, the paper lunch sacks containing candles lining the edge of the track. Safley was just 29 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in June 2006. Her name was one of the dozens of names of cancer patients printed on the bags. "To see my own name on those bags, along with those of other cancer patients just like me, it's humbling and so incredibly powerful," said Safley, who works as a school psychologist for the Edmonds School District. This year's series of Relay for Life events in Snohomish County kicks off in Lynnwood on Saturday. Similar events will take place in Stanwood, Monroe, Everett and Marysville over the next three weeks. The five area events are expected to draw up to 5,000 participants and raise about $900,000. In the Puget Sound region, money raised from the events helps pay for gas cards for patients who need to drive to and from treatment, and for cancer research. Just over $5 million was awarded to 11 researchers in March, according to Kristin Ratigan, a spokeswoman for the American Cancer Society's Puget Sound region. The money also is used to buy wigs and hats for women undergoing cancer treatment and to help pay for patient navigator programs, including one at the Providence Regional Cancer Partnership in Everett. Through these programs, patients are assigned one person to help them get answers to questions during their cancer diagnosis and treatment. Safley will join about 15 other students and staff from Mountlake Terrace High School at Saturday's Relay for Life event at Lynnwood High School. Safley's Hawks for Hope team has a goal of raising $5,000. This year, Safley, now 31, hopes to walk for up to four hours, taking turns around the track with different members of her team over the 24 hours of the event. Last year, Safley was still adjusting to the short hair sprouting on her head after chemotherapy. In the months leading up to the event, Safley sometimes had to choose between wearing a wig during her workouts or going bald -- a silent but nonetheless public declaration of being a cancer patient. "I've lived my life to be a very private person," she said. "Cancer has really invaded who I am. When I lost my hair, I had to tell people something was wrong with me." Safley will return to this year's event with renewed strength and confidence. Her hair has regrown to shoulder length. An avid runner, her routes now cover four to seven miles. "I consider myself very blessed," she said. "I love my job. I have a great family and colleagues. I just like every day." Reporter Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486 or salyer@heraldnet.com.

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