Le Sueur County ‘Relay’ Annual event provides chance to honor, remember and raise money for cancer research

He remembers the fear sweeping through his being in 2003 when he heard his wife had cancer. Two years later, Chris Smith heard a doctor direct those same words at him.

Nearly 20 years later, Sallie and Chris Smith of Madison Lake are still among those fighting cancer and encouraging people to be diligent in their own health care. They will be the honorary cancer survivors Friday night, July 14, 5 p.m., at the Le Sueur County Relay for Life at the county fairgrounds in Le Center. The opening ceremony is slated for 6 p.m. The event is a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, raising money for cancer research, the kind of research extending lives for people like Sallie and Chris Smith.

There are several events available at the relay through which funds can be raised. A cornhole tournament will be held. There are also luminaries or pinwheels available on which people can honor someone fighting the disease or remember a friend or loved one whose cancer journey reached its conclusion, said Julie Harmon, a New Prague representative to the event. For several years, she and co-workers formed a team and raised funds at the Le Sueur County Relay for Life.

She knows first-hand what cancer does to a person. Harmon has lost friends and co-workers to the disease. Even though...

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