Let’s rally together to fight cancer

Murmured voices drift on the night’s breeze as I walk around the tents clumped in the center of the field.

Luminary bags line the interior of the track, casting warm shadows over the dewy grass. The neon-pink glow stick around my neck sways like a metronome as I approach the awning ahead: It is 2 a.m. as I pick up my 22nd mile marker bead at the Foothills Relay for Life.

Started in 1985, Relay for Life is an event where teams gather to raise money and awareness for cancer by having team members take turns walking around a local high school track for 24 hours.

In 2007, my father, John Olsen, led La Crescenta Presbyterian Church’s first Relay team as a man battling brain cancer. The following year, we walked in his memory. This year, I will be walking for Paula Gaskins, who proudly walked the survivors lap at last year’s Relay, but lost her battle this past March.

The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2010, 1.5 million cases of cancer were diagnosed in the U.S. Of those 1.5 million, 569,490 have died. According to the National Cancer Institute, one in two people will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime.

At 23, I have known six people who have lost their battle with cancer. It is time to gather together as a community to honor loved ones lost, celebrate the lives of survivors, and fight back against the disease that claims the lives of millions.

Please join me May 14 at Clark Magnet High School for the Foothills Relay for Life.

Together, we can make cancer a disease of the past.

Chelsey Olsen
La Crescenta

It’s good to blend old with new

Referencing the article, (“Mall to keep historical façade,” April 26) kudos to Rick Caruso for agreeing to retain the mission revival-style façade of the former recording studio at 230 S. Orange St. for use in showcasing photographs from the Glendale Historical Society collection.

Since the Americana at Brand was completed there has been a tremendous separation between “the old” and “the new.” With this venture, Caruso will be blending both and allowing the Americana’s visitors a chance to share in Glendale’s rich history.

In addition to the Alex Theatre, Brand Library, Grand Central (the first major airport in Los Angeles) and many more, several traditions have been part of Glendale’s history as well, including the Days of Verdugos parades and Tournament of Roses float entries.

Hopefully, Caruso’s addition to the Americana will allow the citizens of Glendale to become interested in our history and traditions and, consequently, more involved.

Glendale would not be what is today if it weren’t for the community involvement that helped shape its rich history.

Elaine Alexander
Glendale