It was already shaping up to be a challenging year for Heather Buenaventura.
Over the summer, she had accepted the role as co-chair of Relay For Life of Whidbey Island with good friend Wendy Charboneau after nine years in a support role. Buenaventura figured it was time to see what it would be like to take on the responsibility of organizing Oak Harbor’s annual fundraising event that benefits the American Cancer Society.
Then, in late September, before the two friends had barely settled into their new positions, Buenaventura lost her mother, Judy Henning, to ovarian cancer.
Suddenly, her newfound responsibility took on a more personal meaning.
“It’s a very special year for my partner here,” Charboneau said at a recent Relay For Life gathering.
“It’s been very emotional,” Buenaventura said. “But it’s also helped me heal.”
The culmination of Buenaventura’s and Charboneau’s efforts, as well as other dedicated organizing committee members, will unfold this weekend when the Relay For Life of Whidbey Island takes place around the track at North Whidbey Middle School in Oak Harbor.
The event starts with an opening ceremony at 6 p.m. Friday, June 3, and will continue straight through the night until the closing ceremony at noon Saturday.
Purple-clad participants will start a survivor’s lap at 6:20 p.m. Friday and a special luminaria ceremony is scheduled for 10 p.m. to remember loved ones lost to cancer, support people currently fighting the disease and honor those who’ve fought cancer in the past.
“Wendy and I joke that I probably won’t have a dry eye the whole time,” Buenaventura said.
She won’t be alone.
At the candlelight ceremony, lights are turned off and the track is lined with illuminated bags that often feature photos and heartfelt messages for survivors and those who passed.
Buenaventura got involved with Relay For Life after experiencing her own bout with skin cancer when she was a teenager.
“It was basal cell,” she said. “Thankfully, it didn’t go into melanoma. But it’s still yearly skin checks and sunscreen.”
Buenaventura and Charboneau met nearly 20 years ago when both were orthopedic technicians in the Navy. They still work at Naval Hospital Oak Harbor.
It was soon after Charboneau’s daughter had her own cancer scare six years ago that she joined her friend in helping with Relay For Life efforts on Whidbey.
Elayna Charboneau, now 7, had a tumor removed at 13 months of age and has been cancer-free since.
Each summer on Whidbey, a new chairperson or team is named to lead the local effort, which requires a significant chunk of time and responsibility. Charboneau and Buenaventura were approached after last year’s event.
“We kicked it around a lot over the summer,” Charboneau said. “We have families and kids and we work. It was about August when we finally said, ‘All right, we’ll do it.’ And it’s personal for us. My parents are cancer survivors. My daughter’s a cancer survivor.”
The cause got more personal when Henning died Sept. 20 in Saginaw, Mich., at the age of 70. She has been battling ovarian cancer for three years.
“A lot of people were actually surprised that I continued on,” Buenaventure said.
Despite the time commitment, the decision to stay on became therapeutic and rewarding.
Buenaventura is surrounded by longtime committee members who’ve either experienced or have been touched by cancer.
The group selected a “Ropin’ Hope” Western theme, which will feature a newly crowned “Mr. Rodeo Relay” this year.
So far, more than 40 teams have signed up and have raised more than $83,000. The fundraising goal is $100,000.
To learn more or to donate, go to www.relayforlife.org and type in “Whidbey” under the event search.
Relay For Life
Relay For Life of Whidbey Island opening ceremony is 6 p.m. Friday, June 3, at North Whidbey Middle School in Oak Harbor. The event continues until the closing ceremony at noon Saturday. To learn more or donate, go to www.relayforlife.org and type in “Whidbey” under the event search.
