Last week’s in Bonney Lake was about more than cancer – it was about celebrating the life perspective that comes only with surviving difficult times. Guest speaker Mayor Neil Johnson joked that his 32 year-old stem cell donor must have been “a real nice lady,” because he finds himself being nicer, and crying more.
August 16 will be Johnson’s second “birthday” cancer free. Johnson was first diagnosed with CML, a slow-growing type of leukemia in which the body produces an uncontrolled number of abnormal white blood cells.
It has been 6 months since his transplant and he hopes to return to full-time work soon.
Johnson challenged the Relayers to raise their goal this year – from $250,000 to $275,000.
Over 20 teams attended the kickoff event, hosted by This will be the 14th year of the event, the first in Bonney Lake.
If anyone is interested in starting a team they can contact Katrina Minton-Davis, Team Development Chair at 253-691-4144 or by email at kmintondavis@gmail.com or www.relayforlifesumnerbonneylake.org
