By Nancy Huddleston, Editor

A year ago when Becky Kritz attended Burnsville’s Relay for Life, she could barely make it around the track.

Now her Relay team, Becky’s Believers, is so big it has split into three and they are one of the top fund raisers for the event, which takes place Aug. 7 and 8 at Nicollet Junior High School in Burnsville. The Burnsville resident is also scheduled to share her survivor’s story at the Relay and has been involved with the organizational committee of the event.

Brenda Irwin of Savage is the team captain for Becky’s Believers and she was thrilled when her friend asked her for help. In turn, she got her daughter Jess involved and they’ve all been working hard for Becky’s Believers and as members of the Relay organizational committee.

Becky and Brenda have been friends seven years and met when they worked as volunteers for the Burnsville High School beautification committee. They’ve also worked together on the BHS senior party and are in a book club together.

Brenda said she was very familiar with Relay for Life because her parents were involved in the event in Spencer, Iowa. “They raised tons of money and had tons of fun,” she said, adding that she knew helping her friend would be very rewarding.

Although her mother originally volunteered her to help, Jess is now busy helping get the event organized.

“Mom went with Becky to a meeting and came home telling us she was the team captain and made a big hairy deal about it,” Jess said. “I was roped into going to the next meeting and then got excited to help on the committee.”

Jess is now working as an unpaid intern for the American Cancer Society to create more awareness for the Burnsville event, which has changed locations to Nicollet Junior High due to construction at BHS.

Although the location has changed and presents some challenges, the Burnsville Relay continues to offer a strong line up of activities for relay participants and people there supporting teams. Speakers include Burnsville Mayor and cancer survivor Elizabeth Kautz, a senior citizen reception, a luminaria ceremony, a glow stick ceremony and a variety of music.

Becky’s story

Becky has always been very active in her church in Bloomington, with her daughter Jamie’s activities at BHS and with her career.

She was diagnosed with colon cancer in May 2008 and after surgery to remove the mass, started on a regiment of chemotherapy. She recently finished up her treatment and has been declared to be in remission by her doctors, but will continue to require testing and monitoring of her health.

As she neared the end of her chemo treatments, she attended an organizational meeting for Burnsville’s Relay.

She asked her friend to be her team captain right after attending her first meeting. “Brenda has boundless enthusiasm and energy, which I don’t have now like I normally do, so I needed someone who could handle it,” said Becky.

Becky’s original goal was to have 50 people on her team and she currently has 43, which includes three breast cancer survivors, a thyroid cancer survivor and someone recently diagnosed with prostate cancer. Team members range in age from 14 to 88 and all have been touched by cancer during their lifetime.

Each team member must raise a minimum amount to be in the Relay and since Becky and Brenda share a love of reading, Brenda came up with the book sale idea. Approximately $28,000 was raised at the July 18 event, which will cover the minimum donation due from each team member, and then some.

Becky said the support for the book sale was unbelievable, noting there was a constant flow of donations to sell at the sale.

“People were giving me bags and bags of books everywhere I went,” Becky said, “One Sunday at church as I was going in, I heard ‘Psst, Becky,’ from someone in an aisle and they handed me a bag of books,” she said.

As well, when many people were checking out to pay for their purchases they would tell them to “keep the change” as another donation for the team.

That kind of support is one example of the energy Becky’s Believers is generating, which Brenda says comes from Becky.

“She refuses to think cancer is a bad thing,” Brenda says as she glances toward her friend with a smile on her face.

“I do,” Becky agrees, “A positive attitude is what’s helping me through this and I refuse to make it a bad thing.”

And how can she, Becky asked, when her journey to recovery started last year at the Relay’s survivor’s walk when she was only one month into her treatment.

“The track looked humungous and all of the survivors were ahead of me,” she recalled, “The Blazettes were there supporting everyone and they were running to fill in the gaps all around the track as we walked by.

“They stayed until everyone was around the track,” she continued. “The cheering was unbelievable. They didn’t know me and they didn’t know my story, but I found it so incredibly supportive that I said to myself that night that I’d be back next year and that I’d be stronger.”

When she attended her first Relay meeting, Becky retold that story. Several in attendance remembered her struggle to get around the track. “That meant so much to me and made me realize that I shouldn’t take anything for granted,” she said.

Nancy Huddleston can be reached at editor@savagepacer.com.

If you go …

What: Eighth annual Relay For Life of Burnsville

When: Aug. 7 and 8 – 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. Opening ceremony and survivor lap at 7 p.m. Luminaria ceremony at 9 p.m.

Where: Nicollet Junior High School, 400 E. 134th St., Burnsville.

Other info: Open to public, community is welcome to attend. In addition to the walk, there will be a silent auction, food, music and activities.

For more information: www.relayforlife.org/BurnsvilleMN