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So when Lapeer County's Relay for Life kicks off June 9-10 at the Eastern Michigan Fairgrounds, Donaldson will be there for the fourth year as captain of the Chatfield School team.

"It means to me I have a chance to stop this horrible trend in my family. My grandma, Mary Thomas, had breast cancer. She's a survivor, but her two sisters had it too," Donaldson said. "My uncle has bladder cancer and it's still a struggle for him. My father is a cancer survivor."

As she reflected on her family, Donaldson said there's always hope — her sister beat the odds.

"My sister had acute leukemia. My parents were told she wouldn't make it past her second birthday. Now she's 46 with two children. My mom calls her a 'miracle baby,'" she said.

Donaldson wants to get the word out on the variety of fun things there are to do at Relay for Life. "There's something for everyone," she said about the American Cancer Society's biggest fundraiser. "We have blow-ups and the money all goes to the American Cancer Society," she said.

Poignant for Donaldson is the survivor walk.

"It makes people cry. Last year, a little boy couldn't have been more than two and had a survivor T-shirt on. He's had a short, hard life, but cancer is hard on everyone."

But Donaldson said it's a support network that's instrumental throughout her family that kept her going. It helped her cope. "My family supports each other. It's also through a lot of prayers and love," she said.

This year's Chatfield Relay for Life team has been taken over by the kids. They recently had a fundraiser where kids paid to duct tape teachers to the walls. The team will also be having a spaghetti dinner as another fundraiser 5:30 p.m. June 8. Cost is $5 adults, $4 children, and $1 for kids 2 and under. Dinner includes spaghetti, bread, salad, and drinks. For reservations call Donaldson before 8 p.m. at 245-0063.

Other Relay for Life participants said the event is personal to them as well.

In 2004, Fran DeBaeke of Imlay City had a double mastectomy. Her mother died from breast cancer, so DeBaeke knows the grueling effects of the illness. She also knows she has to watch for her cancer to stay away.

"I had a lot of faith everything would be OK and kept my chin up," she said. "You have to fight it if you have to have a double mastectomy to save your life. My family, friends and faith kept me going. I knew God would take care of everything and the doctor would take care of the rest."

DeBaeke is planning on going to Lapeer County's Relay for Life this year with a friend, Cheryl Roberts. In previous years, DeBaeke has been sponsored by her niece at Relay for Life in Houghton Lake.

A colon cancer survivor of 25 years, Nancy DeJesus of Mussey Township plan to attend the Lapeer County Relay for Life this year with her friend, Jenny Roberts.

"When I was pregnant I lost weight. I slept through my labor and doctors noticed I didn't have a hemorrhoid problem," she said. "Every 6 inches of my colon had an estimated 1,000 polyps."

Her large colon was eventually removed, but her fighting spirit never wavered. After all, DeJesus was a single parent with an infant daughter to raise 25 years ago. Her daughter kept her striving to beat the disease.

"They weren't giving me odds of living," she said. "My newborn kept me going and having faith kept me going."

Still, DeJesus has a message for those going through cancer. "Think positive and not negative for an outcome," she said. "The ones who faced that situation worked toward healing and had prayers that didn't let it get them down."

For more information on Relay for Life, contact the American Cancer Society at 1-800-513-9930.