Why Keith’s Cruzers Relay
by Tracy Goralczyk
Sheri Milson invited me to come see her at the Relay in Shelby Township the same year I lost my brother to cancer. I ended up staying most of the day and we decided to stay for the luminary ceremony. I was a wreck naturally, but I was not alone. I felt so much comfort from the others around me who were grieving their loved ones, those that were celebrating their survivors, and I realized at that moment I had found my people.
The next year we started our team Keith’s Cruzers. Keith is my brother he was born with Hodgkin’s disease and at 8 years old went into remission. That led him to want to find a cure for cancer. He was at Wayne State doing research and had just gotten a grant for cancer research when he was diagnosed with brain cancer at the age of 31. The next 5 years were awful with 6 craniotomies, gamma knife twice, radiation, and chemotherapy. Most of what he did bought time since there was no cure for the aggressive monster living in his brain.
Each time it came back it was stronger and more invasive. He donated every one of those removed tumors to U of M for research. He told us that though this would not help him, they would aide studies and research to help other families in the future so they will not have to say goodbye to their loved one due to brain cancer.
When we started our team it was to bring in money for research because while I cannot cure cancer, I can keep his memory alive by keeping the research dollars coming in. So many advances have been made even since we started and I hope that it would be how he would want us to honor him. We lost him when he was 36 years old.
That’s a hard story to write. But that is how he inspired the team and how he inspires me to stay involved. In addition, my Dad, Mom, Aunt, and Uncle are all survivors. So we honor them as well.
When I get tired or I think that we are barely making a dent I think about how far we have come even in the 6 years my brother has been gone. I think about all the families that are getting options now because of the research being done with cancer. I think about Sheri and Kelly on the steps of Capital Hill fighting for the patients and their rights and fighting for money for research. I think that one voice can be heard if they are loud enough so this Relay and this committee with several voices can make a difference.
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