By Lori EhdeLinda Hess started participating in the local Relay for Life five years ago — long before she, herself, was diagnosed with cancer.This year, she’s leading the Survivor Lap and is a cancer awareness spokesperson as part of her duties as the 2006 Honorary Relay for Life Chairman."I felt it was quite an honor to be asked," Hess said. "There are a lot of people who are cancer survivors. I thought it was really an honor that they asked me."Rock County’s Relay for Life will be June 16-17 in Luverne City Park.Relay for Life is the trademark fund-raiser for the American Cancer Society. For each event, local cancer survivors are chosen as honorary chairs to serve as spokespeople for the Relay and for cancer awareness.Hess said it’s an honor to join an effort that does so much for cancer research."It’s such a big thing," she said about Rock County’s Relay for Life. "It’s about awareness and support and all the things that are so important in cancer education."She said she remembers the 2003 Relay for Life event when cancer survivor Glenda Schomacker was honorary co-chair."I remember listening to her story and crying," Hess said. "And that was before I was diagnosed."‘This can’t be happening to me’Hess learned she had cancer in July 2004 after she found a gumball-sized lump in her breast."I remember thinking I just want to get this over with. This can’t be happening to me," she said. "You just want to move forward and get through it and get it over with."She said the hardest part of the treatment was when her hair started falling out during the four chemo treatments."That was the tough thing," she said. "It wasn’t that I was losing my hair, because I knew it would grow back. But when I looked in the mirror and not all of it was gone, that was hard to see. I felt like a victim."Once she shaved her head and wore a wig, she said she felt like herself again. The chemo was followed by 35 sessions of radiation.Hess said she can’t say enough how important it is that people are in tune with their health and are aware of cancer and its early symptoms.Early detection was key to Hess being 18 months cancer free today. Cancer hadn’t yet spread to her lymph nodes, so the surgeon was confident the lumpectomy and chemo was enough to beat it.Message of hope and optimismShe said Schomacker and other cancer survivors have been inspiring for her in her own recovery."People have to be optimistic," Hess said. "I had made up my mind I was going to get the best of it; it wasn’t going to get the best of me."She said she hopes to bring a message of hope and optimism to the 2006 Relay for Life."It’s hard to lose someone to cancer, because you want to believe everyone will be a survivor," Hess said, "but you have to keep your faith."She also learned that the journey to recovery is easier when others are allowed to help.She said her husband, Harold, and their four children and spouses and grandchildren were supportive, as were her fellow congregation members at St. John Church."I got so many cards and flowers, and it was so nice," she said.Her sister, Jane Gorter of Pipestone, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2000 and was especially helpful, as were her in-laws and other family members.Hess said she’s grateful to her employer, Continental Western Group, for accommodating her through chemotherapy. "People at work were wonderful," said Hess, who is a workmen’s compensation claims representative. "They set me up to work at home, and it was a good morale-booster for me, because I was still part of the whole company and I felt tuned into what was going on."This will be Rock County’s sixth Relay for Life event. Don and Betty Cashin served as honorary co-chairs of the first event in 2001. Jessica Fick was selected for 2002, Glenda Schomacker in 2003, Jan and Everett Brandenburg in 2004, and the late Mike Van Der Brink in 2005.Relay For Life detailsHess will speak at the June 16 Relay for Life opening activities in Luverne City Park.The annual event involves teams of runners and walkers competing against each other to raise the most money.So far, 18 teams and nearly 300 walkers have signed up for the Rock County event and are now raising money for the American Cancer Society.Teams of individuals representing corporations, hospitals, neighborhoods and families take turns on the track through the night with at least one team member on the track at a time.The Relay for Life is now held nationwide, and thousands of people participate each year to help fight cancer.The event is most noted for its luminaries that glow in memory of individuals who have died from cancer or in honor of those who have survived cancer.While the Relay and luminaries are the focal point of the event, the park will be filled with local entertainment, food booths and planned activities. If anyone wants to sign up a team, call Glenda Schomacker, 283-8886, or Vivian Holst, 283-2756. Luminaria are available to decorate in memory of or in honor of a loved one, and Holst and Schomacker can also be contacted for that.