Georgia Senator Johnny Issacson (foreground, facing away) visited the Georgia delegation during the ACS "Celebration on the Hill." I have just returned from one of the most "emotionally moving" trips that I have ever been on and I would like to share it with all the readers of this newspaper and my fellow friends and neighbors. It was called "Celebration on the Hill" and was sponsored and organized by the American Cancer Society. The event was a nationwide "Relay for Life" held September 19-21 in Washington, D.C., which had about 10,000 participants labeled as ambassadors, supporters, or survivors.

These participants were from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rica, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. I was invited by the American Cancer Society as an ambassador because of work that I have done in our community around health issues and with cancer victims and patients and for organizing the first Relay in our area.

Our purpose in Washington, D.C., was to make cancer a priority to our nation's lawmakers and candidates: more specifically: 1) healthcare reform which includes prevention, early detection and treatment of cancer; 2) research; and 3) patient protection which ensures that insurance companies guarantee coverage for mammography and colon cancer screening and such. We wanted signatures on documents from our legislators committing to doing their part in making cancer a thing of the past!

"In Relay style" luminaries encircled the Reflecting Pool near the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., as thousands, including Donna Hardy (at left) assembled for a "Celebration on the Hill." Celebration on the Hill took many months of planning and much training and sharing of information - and also daily e-mails from our American Cancer Society contacts with updates and information on efforts in other communities or courageous, special individuals and what they are overcoming.

The plane ride to Washington, D.C., set the stage for my whole three day experience. I felt totally inadequate for my task from the very beginning. As an ambassador, I was chosen because of my past experience for, as I mentioned, organizing the first Relay in Wilkes County and for being a caretaker for cancer patients. I don't have cancer, yet the journey that I was about to embark on was to show me every type, condition, story or situation that cancer can create. As I started telling earlier, the plane ride to DC set the stage, the beautiful, young woman seated next to me only had one arm. The other she lost to bone cancer at age 21. But it hasn't slowed her down, She's married, been cancer free for 18 years now and has an 8 year old son. She's going to Celebration on the Hill as a survivor. This is typical of people I will meet for the next three days.

We arrive in Atlanta and there are now "Purple Shirts" showing up everywhere (We were issued purple Relay shirts - purple is the official Relay color) We all greet each other with a D.C.-bound greeting and there is a sense of unity already - that we already know each other - we have a sense of being bound by some common bond - exchanging a "See you on the Hill."

In Washington DC the Purple Shirts are very obvious. You wouldn't think 10,000 folks in a town as big as Washington, D.C., would not be that obvious but they are - something is going on! Even the D.C. folks are asking questions - Who are they? What are they doing? And they are beginning to share their "cancer" stories with us, and telling us about their "Relay" stories and wishing us success on the Hill!

We are camped out directly in front of the White House by the Reflecting Pool between the White House and the Washington Monument. The whole encampment is very impressive. Each state has a tent and we have invited our legislators to visit our tents to sign a promise for healthcare reform, research, and patient protection or we are visiting them on Capital Hill. As legislators arrive and sign the pledges, you hear applauds and roars. Johnny Issacson and Saxby Chambliss both visit the Georgia tent and sign the pledge. The House is in session that day so we go to Charlie Norwood's office for a visit. September 20 is a very successful day for our battle against cancer - 366 signatures are obtained with a possibility of more to come.

Another huge part of our encampment is "The Wall of Hope." These are the actual banners from every "Relay of Life" that was held in 2005- 2006 with participant signatures on the banners. Wilkes County is right there in the middle! I found it and made a picture.

Our Georgia delegation is 90 strong and one of the largest to assemble of any state. Every time we go by they comment on that Georgia delegation! Part of our Georgia delegation is a young woman named Casey from Gainesville and her very young son. Casey is a supporter and her son is a survivor. Her son was diagnosed with cancer at age three months and they thought they would loose him. He is now four years old and going strong and very active and CANCER-FREE! Casey wanted to share her son's story with Congressman Norwood and to give him a picture of her son to remind him of what cancer can do and have a real face to remember when he voted on legislation on this issue. He now has that picture! We did see Charlie!

Martha and her daughter are from Gwinett County, Georgia, and were recently featured in the October issue of Teen Magazine. Martha had breast cancer and refused to succumb to the disease, she wanted to be a part of her daughter's future and received a very harsh treatment with her daughter right by her side. Their story was featured in the magazine and she has beat the disease so far. They vowed - together - they will beat the disease. And she will see her daughter grow up - her daughter is now 16 years old!

I met the most delightful young couple from North Carolina - they both have terminal brain tumors and both are undergoing experimental treatments from two different treatment centers. (They argue who is receiving the most radical treatment!) Their love for each other is absolutely beautiful. They have the most wonderful outlook on life and their futures and they live each single moment to the fullest and they do not regret one single thing or place blame on anything or anyone. They are truly amazing! They thank God for every single moment and experience.

(The people you meet and the stories you hear just go on and on. These people are truly amazing. We just have so much to be thankful for and our complaints just seem so little and petty. If we could only walk in their shoes!)

In true Relay fashion, our day's activities begin with a "Survivor's Lap" except the view was truly amazing - it took place around the Reflecting Pool at our nation's capital with the White House in the background - with about 3,500 survivors - and they did not stop with one lap, they kept on going for two and three laps for some of them - with the crowd applauding them all the way!

The Celebration ended - again in true Relay fashion - with a "luminary lighting" - it too taking place around the Reflecting Pool - totally encircling the Reflecting Pooling and the White House in the background. I assisted with lighting the Georgia bags and there were over 600 bags placed in memory or honor of Georgia folks. Three names I recognized were "honorees" - my dad, Simon Bridges; my friend, Marshall Sherrer; and my friends, Denae & Baby Bailey Ottman. I got pictures of all three of these with the White House in the background! At the conclusion of this ceremony, folks took great care in sitting and praying, reflecting, or meditating in front of their loved-ones' bags. Many carefully collected the bags, folded them, and took them home with them. Very few words were spoken - the setting said it all.

On the Metro (The train system), and everywhere we went in Washington, D.C., the locals are calling us the "purple people," and this gave us a sense of what we were about - cancer has no boundaries - it does not care if you are male or female, black or white, or red, or yellow, young or old, rich or poor, tall or short, fat or skinny, pretty or not so pretty. We all became one, with one common cause, one common goal, and even though we were from different states and territories or islands - in Washington, D.C. - we were just Americans with one mission - the purple people fighting cancer. Again - a Celebration on a Hill - also a celebration of Life.

Thank you American Cancer Society. Together we all can beat this terrible thing called cancer!