Hazelwood Central to Host North County Relay for Life Friday Night

Friday evening, the  track will be lined with luminarias to remember family members and friends lost to cancer, as survivors and supporters stroll along it.

The 12th annual , which is one of many relays put on by the American Cancer Society, starts at 6 p.m. and goes until 6 a.m. Saturday.

For the organizers, the event has a significant place in their lives.

"I lost nine people to cancer," Delilah Morkisz, the North County relay mission chair and Eastern Missouri regional relay chair, said. "You get to celebrate, remember and fight back—all in one place."

David Hill, the online and logistics chair for the North County relay, has been a 27-year cancer survivor. As a child, doctors diagnosed him with gum cancer.

"Finding cures is really, really important," he said. "It's a cause I believe in."

"I first got involved because my dad had prostate cancer, but in April 2009, my mom was also diagnosed with cancer," Denise Hill, event chair for the North County relay, said.

Hill has been involved with the event off and on for six years, and this is her second year as event chair.

"Too many kids lose parents, and too many parents lose kids," she said. "We need to show support for the survivors. It's a rough road, and Relay for Life gives you people who support you and understand what you're going through."

During the event, individuals and teams will stroll around the track and camp out to watch their teammates and share experiences with fellow survivors and supporters.

As of Wednesday afternoon, 19 teams and more than 125 participants registered for the North County relay. If you would like to participate in the event but haven't signed up yet, don't worry.

"We'd love to see anybody from the community come out," David Hill said.

You can still register for the relay on the night of the event. It costs $10 per person to register, but you only get a T-shirt if you've raised at least $100.

They will also continue to sell luminarias, which bear the names of cancer survivors or those who lost their battles with cancer, for $5 each until 9 p.m. on Friday night.

More information about the Relay for Life of North St. Louis County can be found on its website.