Pirates of the Cure

(Precious kittens, you may like to refresh your memories by reading these before proceeding.)

What flamingos and pirates have in common, I don't know. Peg legs, maybe? Garish garb? Anyhoo, my friend and colleague Steph and her sister, Jenny, like to raise money for the American Cancer Society, and two ways that they've been doing it have been "pinking" people's lawns with pirate flamingos for a ransom (you'll know what that means if you clicked the link above) and participating in the annual Relay for Life in Dickinson at DSU's Whitney Stadium. In advance of the Relay, they sell luminaria for people to honor their loved ones who battled cancer, and they collect donations to turn in on behalf of their team; at the Relay, they set up a tent (among the others lining the track) with pirate-themed games for kids, enter a male in the Mr. Relay contest*, and walk the track all night.

They also invite our family to walk as part of their team. We're leaving early tomorrow for a vacation (keep your eye on Pensive? No, Just Thinking in upcoming days for all the details), so we knew we couldn't stay at the stadium long, but we did put in a couple hours and a few laps around the track. We saw many people we know--some stationed at tents around the stadium, some walking the track as part of teams, and some attending just to show their support, get some exercise, and patronize the fundraising booths.

The Mobergs posing with the team banner, which says, "Pirates of the Cure: On the Hunt for a Cure." I think Steph and Jenny thought of the pirate theme when the Pirates of the Caribbean movies were just out and popular. Notice Hillary's hook on her right hand and Suzanna's smile despite her otherwise intimidating pirate accessories. Below note how the girls and I got into character with those same pirate items, courtesy Steph and Jenny:

And here we are starting off the relay. The girls were the official banner carriers for our team. Those white T-shirts have this year's Relay for Life logo on them; white means that we are official participants in the relay.

Before participants in white T-shirts get their turn walking the track, however, the people in purple Relay for Life T-shirts start it all off with a couple laps, one all by themselves and one joined by their families. Purple means a cancer survivor. With each step, they were greeted with applause from nearby onlookers lining both sides of the track and seated in the stadium bleachers. The saddest sight was seeing parents pushing a stroller with a purple T-shirt-clad toddler inside.

Here's a luminary in honor of my friend and colleague; she battled cancer earlier this year and was devastated to learn in recent weeks that it has returned. She's currently undergoing more treatments and could use your prayers.

Neither Susan nor I made this luminary, but spotting it brought tears to our eyes because it could have represented either of us.

*The Mr. Relay contest requires each participating team to force some poor schlub into women's wear, makeup, and a wig, and then to send that temporary transvestite around the stadium seeking donations from others in attendance. The winner is the she-male who turns in the most money. There might even be accolades for being the most "beautiful" contestant, too . . . I don't know. This year Steph's new husband played the role. For his sake, I'm posting no photographic evidence!