(Miami, Florida) – The American Cancer Society’s annual Relay for Life kept moving forward, even after a challenging Miami sky.  But whether there was rain or shine, thousands of people gathered at J.C. Bermudez Park in Doral during the month of April to do exactly what they have been doing for the past ten years – camp out in the middle of the night to relay, while sharing the event simultaneously with various other cities throughout the country.

Every relay event begins with an inspirational survivor lap at sunset.  After dark, they perform the Luminaria Ceremony to honor those who have been ‘touched’ by cancer in some way, and to remember loved ones they’ve lost due to the disease. 

“The reason for starting the event at sunset,” said Gerardo Reyes, Team Development Chair for Relay for Life of Doral, “is because the sunset is symbolic to receiving the bad news that you or a loved one has cancer, and feeling the light in your life turn off…it’s a darkness that falls upon you.”

Families camp out during the entire evening to receive a sunrise the following morning as a symbol of hope that, one day, the cure for cancer will be found.

For more information about Relay for Life visit http://www.relayforlife.org/ â–