Blake Hall, 17, passed away on Valentine's Day 2008 after a battle with cancer. But the Forrest teen's memory lives on in the lives that he touched.
"I just think about how strong he was and how he helped us get through this," said his mother, Barbara Hall. "He had such a positive attitude toward everything and he affected so many lives and I hear from people who said how he was a wonderful kid and how they impacted their life."
Blake was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in April 2003. He had to have a leg amputated in October 2004. The cancer then spread to his lungs in December 2005 and he continued to have surgeries until January 2007. Radiation treatments started after that, and then the cancer spread to his brain.
"He took it as it came," Hall said. "When he was told the cancer was back and they had to amputate his leg, he was upset but it sunk in and he moved on. He could do pretty much anything that any other person could do."
Hall began attending the Livingston County Relay for Life five years ago, and she will be there again for this year's event, Friday and Saturday.
"There is a lot of support and love in just knowing that you are not the only one going through this," she said.
The 2009 event kicks off Friday at Pontiac Township High School, 1100 E. Indiana Ave. Sponsored by the American Cancer Society, it raises money to fund cancer research.
Marcus Maier, survivor chair of the relay, said about 49 teams are participating. Their goal is to raise more than $200,000. The relay raised $212,000 last year, a 42 percent increase from 2007.
Maier, a cancer survivor diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease that is now in remission, said the relay focuses on celebrating, remembering and fighting back.
"It's a celebration of life, and that's how we look at it," he said."That's what it's all about."
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Pontiac relay
What: 13th annual Livingston County Relay for Life
When: Friday and Saturday
Where: Pontiac Township High School
Events: Opening ceremony, 5 p.m. Friday; survivor lap, 7:15 p.m. Friday, followed by a caregiver lap and team lap; luminaria celebration, 9 p.m. Friday; closing ceremony, 9 a.m. Saturday. To see more of The Pantagraph, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.pantagraph.com. Copyright (c) 2009, The Pantagraph, Bloomington, Ill. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
Copyright (C) 2009, The Pantagraph, Bloomington, Ill.