www.oakvillebeaver.com Living Oakville Beaver LIVING EDITOR: ANGELA BLACKBURN The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday June 6, 2007 - 11 Phone: 905-845-3824, ext. 248 Fax: 905-337-5567 e-mail: angela@oakvillebeaver.com · WEDNESDAY, June 6, 2007 DEREK WOOLLAM / SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER SWEET VICTORY: Members of The Blues Sisters team, all cancer survivors, kicked off the Survivors' Victory Lap at Oakville's 2007 Relay for Life Friday night at Appleby College. Oakville united in fight against cancer By Angela Blackburn OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF atching children, the embodiment of the future, walk the cancer Survivors' Victory Lap touches something deep inside that says cancer must be beaten. The same feeling strikes when one looks at the seemingly never-ending rows of luminaries in memory of those who haven't survived. For every strong-hearted person who tackled the sixth annual Oakville Relay for Life Friday night at Appleby College, there is the story of an equally strong person who has battled cancer. Around every turn of the all-night fundraiser for the Canadian Cancer Society was such a story, yet despite the tears, there were many more smiles. For it's those who have made the journey with cancer, or those close to them, who have discovered the stronger of the two is the human spirit -- despite mortality. Seventeen-year-old Eric Shaw was W an Ottawa-area boy who wanted to be at Oakville's Relay for Life this year. The cancer that took one of his eyes at only five months of age, returned not long after Shaw's 16th birthday to claim Shaw's life. That was in January. "Eric died Jan. 12. He would have been 18 next Friday. Today's a tough day," said his aunt Michele LoweShaw through tears Friday. Yet Shaw was at Relay Friday in Oakville. His luminary shone through the night as the team assembled in his honour, For the Love of Eric, walked the track. His only cousin, determined to honour him had earlier in the day fulfilled his end of a challenge he'd issued weeks ago to classmates at St. Joseph School. Grade 7 student Mackenzie Lowe had his head shaved to raise funds for cancer research and then headed over to Oakville's Relay for Life. He raised more than $1,000. And the tears Lowe-Shaw cried in "Out of difficulty often comes amazing learning that shows the true strength of friendship and family." Janet Reesor, Team Alex captain memory of her nephew were equalled by the smile and overwhelming pride she felt for her son's accomplishment in his cousin's honour. Shaw is the only son of LoweShaw's 44-year-old brother. Though the youth had lost an eye to cancer as an infant, Shaw remained cancer-free until he was 16 when a tumour was discovered in his sinus. Shaw however had much of the Relay spirit in him. The teen was told he could die within two months without surgery or could have surgery that may extend his life by a year. He chose the surgery. However, he'd already been involved in a fundraising effort before being diagnosed with cancer, so on the day of the fundraiser, he signed himself out of the hospital, kicked off the fundraiser, then returned to hospital and had his surgery as the fundraiser took place. His aunt said her nephew has been given three awards for fundraising posthumously as he helped raise, even through the making of a video, approximately $15,000 for the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario. Lowe-Shaw said five days following the surgery Shaw's tumour had returned and was doubling in size every 24 hours. "Eric's big thing was awareness," said Lowe-Shaw. Her pride in her own son could not be hidden -- even as she grabbed the beret Lowe wore to the relay over his newly shorn scalp. "I did what I did because I wanted to honour my only cousin," said Lowe. Lowe, along with friends and family, including his mom, participated in the June 1 Relay for Life at Appleby. Not far from their Relay camp site in Tent City, was Michelle MacMahon, team captain of the TD Canada Trust Oakville Main team. "I'm a survivor. I do this because I can," she said simply. She was joined by co-workers including Sharon Sandercock, another survivor. The team's fundraising efforts range from dress down Fridays at work to team member Carol Christou's sale of beaded bracelets -- bracelets she even handed out at her neice's wedding the week before. "Everyone we know is affected by it in some way," said MacMahon. 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