Joyce Mobley walked at the 2016 Cole County Relay for Life in remembrance of her husband, Ronnie.
The Jefferson City woman wore two buttons over her heart - one that said "I walk for Ronnie" and another with his picture. He died of melanoma in 1999. The year following his death, Mobley joined the Relay for Life team.
She has since lived by the American Cancer Society motto: "Celebrate. Remember. Fight back."
"(Relay for Life) has been a godsend to me," said Mobley, lead chair of the Cole County Survivor Committee.
On the Jefferson City Jaycees Fairgrounds, she joined thousands of others affected by cancer - a disease estimated to claim nearly 600,000 lives this year. The annual Relay for Life of Cole County kicked off at 6 p.m. Friday with an opening ceremony, which included the cancer survivor lap and survivor speech by Sheriff Greg White, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer last year.
Ashley Hale, community manager for the local Relay for Life, said there are more teams, participants and survivors this year than in recent years. Eighty teams registered, which raised more than $152,000 by the event date. Hale anticipates fundraising to surpass last year's total of about $186,000. The night of the Relay typically raises between $25,000-$30,000, she said.
The Cole County Relay for Life leaders wanted to emphasize fun this year, leading to the "Gaming for the Cure" theme. Teams celebrated it, decorating their campsites to resemble board games such as Candyland, Operation and The Game of Life. Participants played various games, like Plinko, miniature golf and bean bag challenge.
There was also a lip sync battle, midnight Zumba and Little Mr. and Miss Relay contest.
"It's important to fundraise, but it's also important to have fun while doing it," Hale said.
Relay's camaraderie and support keep Mobley involved year after year. When her husband was diagnosed with cancer, public perception of the disease was vastly different than it is today, she said. A cancer diagnosis was mostly kept secret.
"No one talked about it," she said. "You got it, you hide. It was swept under the rug."
Mobley said, thanks to the American Cancer Society and awareness events, that is no longer the case. Cancer patients, survivors and their loved ones can easily access the help they need.
"It's awesome," she said. "It's mind-boggling that you can make a phone call now to anyone, and you can get the help."
Support of the organization's largest event, Relay for Life, makes it possible.
"It is a very celebratory environment," Hale said. "People are here; they're happy. They want to make a difference for those who are still fighting but also for those who might have passed so that their passing was not in pain. They want to give back even though their loved one has already passed."
That's the case for Paula Hedrick, a Relay volunteer who lost her husband, Harold. Diagnosed following the discovery of a brain tumor, doctors gave him 17 weeks to live. He battled for four years and never complained, Hedrick said.
Harold Hedrick always held onto hope, his wife said.
"Doctors said if you have cancer, hope is the best thing to have because it doesn't go anywhere," she said. "It just stays right there in your head."