Watertown's Ninth Annual Relay for Life Comes to Victory Field

Looking out on the group of cancer survivors, and their friends and families gathered at Victory Field Friday evening, Catherine Elton said she was thankful for the support she got – help that her mother did not get when she had cancer.

Elton, who lives in Belmont, but has close ties to town, said she lost her mother when she was only five years old and her mother just 33. Back then, in the early 1970s, cancer was something to be hidden, she said, and her father and her doctor decided not to tell her mother how bad the disease had gotten. 

Years later, when Elton was three months pregnant with her second child she learned she had breast cancer. At first, she had a very pessimistic view of the diagnosis.

"To me no one survived cancer. I knew there were some, but I didn't know them," Elton said. "When I got breast cancer, that was my perspective."

On top of the cancer, doctors said she might consider terminating the pregnancy because of the cancer treatments. She learned, however, that the Chemo therapy would not get through the placenta to the baby, so she decided to keep her child.

"Instead of focusing on the rapidly multiplying cells in my breast  and where ever else – I decided to focus on the rapidly multiplying cells in my belly."

When she faced cancer, Elton found she has plenty of people there for her.

"I have so much support thanks to the work you have done and the money you have raised," Elton said. "I got so much social support at the hospital of people like you. I was not alone like my father was alone and my mother was alone."

Elton is now five years from her diagnosis and her daughter is 4-1/2 years old.

Successful Year for the Relay

Walkers circled the track at Victory Field all night, ending in the early hours of Saturday, June 9.

This year's relay had more teams, more people participated and raised more money than last year, said Matthew Bloom, from the American Cancer Society. According to the American Cancer Society Website, the relay raised more than $71,000 this year.

Heather Hoiseth, co-chair of the Survivorship for the Watertown/Waltham Relay for Life, said she hopes cancer survivors will take something from the event.

This year 32 teams participated – some old, some new and some came back, she said.

She and others contact those in the area who have been recently diagnosed with cancer to invite them to come out to the Relay.

"For a survivor, the Relay for Life makes a huge difference," said Hoiseth, who is a six-year survivor of thyroid cancer. "It changes their whole outlook. The pride to be able to do the survivor's lap and have your family there to cheer you on. 

"People who are there at the beginning of their journey, or whatever stage you are, it lifts you up."

Hoiseth thanked her co-chair Marie Tsacogianis, and District D Town Councilor Ken Woodland, who she called an honorary board member. He helped organize a dunk tank where people could throw balls and if they hit the target, town councilors and other town official fell into a tank of water.