St Ann and St Mary branch of the Jamaica Cancer Society said it is aiming to raise some $7 million from its ninth staging of Relay for Life at Turtle River Park in Ocho Rios, St Ann, on July 26 to assist in the fight against the disease.

Chairman of the Relay for Life Committee Kameal Bryan-Russell encouraged people to support the event in whatever way possible.

“With every step you take, you are helping the Jamaica Cancer Society save lives,” Bryan-Russell said as she addressed the recent launch at the society’s Ocho Rios offices.

Bryan-Russell said some 20 teams are already on board for this year’s staging of the event which raised some $3 million last year.

That money, she explained, was spent helping to raise awareness as well as getting hundreds screened for various types of cancer.

The all-night event which will see teams having a representative on track throughout the night, Bryan-Russell said, is an indication that “cancer never sleeps”.

As such, she called on persons to be committed to the cause.

Karin Bakker, a member of the Jamaica Cancer Society, also encouraged people to join the organisation in its effort to raise funds to help in the fight against cancer.

“We are trying to race to help people,” she said, adding the event is also a fun one with entertainment.

Custos of St Ann, Norma Walters, who is also a part of the organisation, said the annual event not only raises funds but promotes selflessness and selfless giving. She encouraged persons to get involved and to seek help from others even as she congratulated Minister of Health Dr Fenton Ferguson for the initiative he took in controlling smoking in public.

Custos Emeritus Radcliffe Walters, who has partnered with the cancer society in the staging of the Relay For Life, did the honour of officially launching the event.

“One cannot overemphasise the importance of the cancer society in promoting awareness,” he noted.

The Relay For Life is also used to remember victims of the deadly disease as well as to celebrate survivors. Forming a very important part of the Relay For Life activities, several survivors turned out for the launch of the event.

Trice Smith, one of the survivors, who shared her testimony at the launch, said she was diagnosed with cancer in 2011 while recovering from another illness.

“I had a blood transfusion when I felt a lump in my breast,” she told persons attending the launch. Tests would later reveal that she had cancer.

“Cancer has a way…it can either make you stronger or take you down,” she explained. However, Smith said it is her faith in God which has kept her going.

“Trust God, he will never fail,” she said, adding that she has faced many challenges.

One of the most troubling moments for her, she said, was losing her hair.

“That was the first time I cried,” Smith recounted.

Several businesses are partnering with the Cancer Society for this year’s staging of Relay For Life. These include: Jamaica National Building Society, Digicel, RJR Communications Group, Jamaica Money Market Brokers, Jamaica Public Service and Sagicor, among others.