Cancer touches everyone - some of us in the smallest of ways, others in a much bigger way.

Some have a family member or a friend who is battling cancer or who has survived it. Others may be a friend of a friend. Doctors and nurses treat patients who struggle with it.

And some – some are survivors.

Oh, why you look so sad?
Tears are in your eyes
Come on and come to me now

As the music began to play, 98 men and women stepped onto the Decatur track at the Wise County Relay for Life on Friday, May 18.

It was a moment of joy and triumph for everyone in attendance.

There were a lot of tears as a victory lap – a survivor’s lap – was walked.

They defeated one of the toughest battles that can be fought. They survived cancer.

Don’t be ashamed to cry
Let me see you through
cause I’ve seen the dark side, too

When Teri Vrba, counselor at Rann Elementary School in Decatur, went in to have a breast exam in December 2002, a tiny bump was found.

“They were 99 percent sure that I had a cyst,” she said.

It was supposed to be a simple matter. The cyst would be removed, but when the doctor went in to remove the cyst, a tumor was found underneath.

To rid the cancer, Vrba underwent a double mastectomy and breast reconstruction.

She then went through chemotherapy. She also worked during that time.

“The chemotherapy made me very tired,” she said. “There were a lot of days when I came home from work, and I just wanted to relax because it is so exhausting.”

Her stomach muscles were weak and Vrba found herself often hunched over.

Vrba’s parents, who live in McKinney, came to stay with her to care for their daughter. She also had support from her husband and her children, as well as from her church and her co-workers at the elementary school.

“I realize that I now appreciate the little things a lot more, and our family has gotten a lot closer,” she said. “I eat healthier. I exercise more; and our family relationships are a lot stronger. And, we found out what a caring community Decatur is.”

Vrba has been a counselor for the past seven years in Decatur. One of her supporters was Katie Stevens, a fellow teacher at Rann who has also battled breast cancer.

When the night falls on you
You don’t know what to do
Nothing you confess
Could make me
love you less

In March 2000, Katie Stevens went in for a routine mammogram.

A day after the mammogram and two additional tests, the doctor uttered the words, “Mrs. Stevens, I don’t have good news for you today.”

On April 6, 2000, she started chemotherapy for inflammatory breast cancer. On July 5, she underwent a radical msstectomy. She went through four rounds of additional chemotherapy followed by seven weeks of radiation, finishing three days before Christmas.

“I thought that was the best Christmas gift I could ever get,” she said.

Six years later, in June 2006, Stevens found a tiny lump in her right breast through self-examination.

“I thought I was going crazy,” she said.

She went in for a mammogram and was diagnosed again with cancer, another primary tumor unrelated to the first cancer.

On July 31, 2006, she had another radical mastectomy, followed by six rounds of chemotherapy. In January, 2007, she began seven weeks of radiation.

She took a semester off from teaching and relied on three things to help get her through — her faith, her family and her friends.

“I’m very fortunate in that I have a strong church family,” she said. “We believe in prayer and we’re always praying for a miracle. Prayer gives me peace and assurance.”

Times were trying.

“You get scared because you have to think about, ‘Am I going to survive this?’” she said. “It’s a shock when a doctor tells you that you’ve got cancer.”

But Stevens has learned to have peace with her life and all that she has been through.

“I get up every day just happy that I’m alive,” she said. “It really makes you appreciate life more and all the little things in life.”

I’ll stand by you
I’ll stand by you
Won’t let nobody hurt you
I’ll stand by you

The 2007 Wise County Relay for Life raised more than $142,000 for cancer research.

There were 698 participants; 98 were cancer survivors. There were a total of 44 teams that camped out overnight, and a little rain didn’t deter very many people.

“I thought it went well,” said Anna Wallace, co-chair of the event. “I think that because of the rain some people didn’t make it all night, but I thought that all in all it was a great event.”

The message for the participants was one of hope.

“It’s all about hope,” Stephens said. “That’s what gets us through. That’s who we are. That is why we Relay.”