SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - This year's Relay for Life has so far raised over $213,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society and there is still money coming in, signaling it may be the most successful run in the event's seven-year history.

Roslind Minault raises her hands in victory Wednesday after being cancer free for 11 years following three bouts with the illness. - Heather Lange/NNSL photo

With donations still coming in, it will be months before organizers have a grand total. Last year, after the relay, the total was at $171,000 and the grand total ended up being $215,000.

This year's relay was also the biggest in size, with 463 participants, 43 teams, 139 volunteers and 42 survivors taking part.

The volunteer co-ordinator, Judy Sharp, bears a personal link to the event - she has been cancer-free for more than 10 years, after battling with nasopharyngeal cancer.

"If the chemo and radiation didn't work I would have died," said Sharp.

In September of 2000, she was diagnosed with cancer which affected the top of her throat up to the back of her nose. Sharp left for Edmonton for surgery and, following a recovery time of six weeks, underwent chemotherapy and radiation treatment for seven weeks.

Sharp attributes the early diagnosis of the cancer, ongoing improvements in cancer research and clean living to her victory.

"I was very lucky they found it early. They don't immediately think something like cancer, but the early diagnosis is what really helped me with my chances of success. If it wasn't for cancer research I wouldn't have had survived. It's a lifeline. You become aware of how responsible you are for your health - you truly are," said Sharp.

She now wants to give back to cancer research and to help other cancer patients with their difficulties.

"You get to meet a lot of courageous people. You instantly have a bond with these people. There is a genuine concern for others who are diagnosed with cancer. It's really good to tell people just diagnosed, or still going through cancer, that I have been cancer-free for ten years," said Sharp.

Roslind Minault, another volunteer with Relay For Life and cancer survivor has been free of cancer now for 11 years. She was diagnosed three times with lymph and thyroid cancer and three times she fought it and won.

"The first time was in 1994, I had surgery coupled with radiation. Then, in 1994, the lymph cancer came back and I had surgery. In 1999 the lymph cancer came back again and I used Chinese herbs to shrink it that were recommended from an aunt who used the same herbs and also had her cancer shrink," said Minault.

She wants to give back to cancer research because she feels it has helped her survive.

"I wanted to help other people survive. I want to raise money to find a cure. There is a feeling that we are taking part in something that is working. Canada has come a long way in research," said Minault.

Minault has nothing but good things to say about her treatment in the health care system in Yellowknife.

"Yellowknife is one of the best places in the world to get cancer. As soon as you have the symptoms, you're looked after. The first time I was diagnosed with cancer was in Halifax. I waited three months for treatment. In Yellowknife, the doctor diagnosed me Friday afternoon and by Monday morning I was on the operating table having surgery," said Minault.

Stories from cancer survivors such as Sharp and Minault helped propel this Relay for Life to be the biggest yet in Yellowknife.

"We are really happy with how the event went," said Bianca Jorgenson, the event's co-ordinator, with the Canadian Cancer Society.

"This is the most money we have had coming in after the Relay for Life event. We are really happy we can fight back against cancer, and we are still accepting donations until August," said Jorgenson.

Teams and individuals raise money by pledging to walk or run for 12 hours straight.

Jorgenson wanted to say a special thanks to the youth teams and individuals who took part. The Funky Fairies were the top youth fundraising team for the fourth consecutive year, raising $12,067.

Team captain, 16-year-old Jeanne Yurris, a student at Sir John Franklin High School, said the team has a personal connection with cancer.

"We started because all the girls on the team have known somebody who has cancer and last year a friend who is our age ... was diagnosed with cancer," said Yurris. "It made it more meaningful to us."

Top individual youth fundraiser for the last four years has been Tim Riviere and top adult team this year was BHP Billiton, who raised over $20,000 and still has pledges coming in.

Forty per cent of Canadian women and 45 per cent of Canadian men will develop cancer at some point in their lifetime, and approximately one out of four Canadians will die from cancer, according to the Canadian Cancer Society's 2011 statistics.

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