Walking for Grandma

POST FALLS – When Diana Macklin’s kids first learned about the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, they knew exactly what they had to do.

“(In 2001) my mom and my aunt passed away four days apart from each other from cancer,” said Macklin. “My kids are doing this event for my mom.”

Her five children, ages 4 to 18, will be walking in the all-night event with relay teams – each with at least 15 members – that collect pledges in advance.

Macklin’s two oldest children, 18-year-old Sheyne Possman and 16-year-old Kayla Possman, are leading a team comprised mostly of Post Falls High School students and staff. Their 12-year-old brother Marc Possman also is on the team.

Brother Cody Macklin, 7, and sister Lori Ann Macklin, 4, will be on separate teams.

The relay starts Friday evening and ends Saturday morning at the Greyhound Park and Event Center. The money raised goes toward programs in Kootenai County as well as research.

“Last year we raised $104,000,” said Nicol Barnes, the community relationship manager for the Coeur d’Alene office of the American Cancer Society.

Sheyne Possman said his motivation was simple: “We know everyone is affected by cancer either indirectly or directly,” he said. “This is a relay where we raise money to find a cure and everyone who participates gets to raise money for cancer.”

In anticipation of the event, he and Kayla Macklin participated in an 18-hour American Cancer Society retreat aimed at getting more of their Post Falls High School peers involved.

“At the retreat we talked about ways to get people involved in the Relay for Life and talked about where the money goes,” said Kayla Macklin.

The retreat schedule matched the hours of the Relay for Life.

“We started out with ice-breakers and talked about cancer and how it affects families,” Kayla said. “We also talked about the costs associated with cancer.”

About 20 kids from Post Falls and West Valley high schools attended the retreat, which was organized in part by Barnes.

The retreat and the relay are not Kayla’s first participation in the fight against cancer. She recently had her hair cut for the third time for Locks for Love, a program that makes hairpieces for cancer patients. That, coupled with other community activities, earned her the Mayor’s Youth Award last month in the 15- to 18-year-old category.

Barnes said the relay includes children’s activities, auctions, and vendors. “There are a lot of ways people can participate without actually being on a team,” he said.

People can sign up to be on a relay team as late as Friday, when the event starts with a “survivors’ reception” at 5 p.m. Any cancer survivor may attend, and need not sign up in advance.

Macklin says the lighting of the luminaria at 10 p.m. is always a moving event. This year Kayla will light one for her grandmother as well as an 18-year-old cancer patient she met at the retreat.

Diana Macklin said everyone who participates in the relay walks away with a great feeling.

“Cody is 7 years old and he wears his relay shirt and is very proud,” she said. “He tells everyone that he did it for all the people who are sick.”

But Macklin says no matter what words she uses, she cannot convey to others what the Relay is like.

“I tell people I cannot explain it, you have to experience it,” Macklin said.