It may be impossible to meet someone whose life hasn’t been affected directly or indirectly by cancer. Virtually everyone has a friend, a loved one, a neighbor, or someone, whose life has been impacted by the disease.

Hundreds of locals turned out on a rainy Saturday afternoon – the event had been postponed from its original June date because of rain – to celebrate the American Cancer Society Relay for Life, honoring both those who have fought or are fighting the disease, and those who have succumbed.

It’s a celebration of life, a way to raise funds to "create a world with less cancer and more birthdays," in the words of Lorraine Baa, event chairwoman.

The rain simply wasn’t accepted as a factor. Volunteers paid the weather no mind, running around cleaning the track ahead of the parade and sprucing up the infield, which was covered with tents of the teams and their sponsors.

The parade was led by Michelle Olive, who holds the title Miss Relay for Life. She was followed by the St. Thomas Majorettes and more mocko jumbies than you can shake a stilt at, with dozens of cancer survivors in purple T-shirts marching proudly behind.

Those survivors had a treat coming. The survivors’ dinner tent was something to behold. A virtual organdy wonder world under a white tent, seats covered in gray satin, vases filled with deep purple orchids, simply elegant. It was the handiwork of designer and artist Al Hayes, "with my committee," he noted.

Local radio and television legend Lee Vanterpool, master of ceremonies for this year’s survivors’ dinner, said this will be his first Relay.

"I’m usually off-island this time of year," he said, "but when they asked me, I realized this was a chance to honor the memory of my sister Leonore Vanterpool, who died of cancer 20 years ago. She was only 50. She was my best friend."

Everyone has someone.

Another local legend, the tireless Therese Hodge, without whom hardly a race would be run on the island, was her usual bustling self, setting up the YaYa Girls tent.

"We’re just a bunch of runners, about 13, who decided when it first started in 2002 to do the relay as a team. We haven’t missed one yet. It’s fun, but it’s not easy."

Toward the end on Sunday morning, she said, "we each say we’ll do another half hour, well maybe fifteen minutes … but we finish."

The teams start running at 4 p.m. Saturday, and wind up at 10 a.m. Sunday.

"Mac Davis is our team captain; he is our inspiration," Hodge said.

Well-known island personality, "Mac," attorney Elliot MacIver Davis, has been battling cancer for several years.

The pervasive disease offers no dispensation for age.

Eleven-year-old Jamal Castor spoke, or rather his father spoke for the youngster, as the shy young man stood silently while Castor spoke before a muted audience of his son’s ordeal.

"Last October," Castor said, "Jamal said he didn’t feel good, he had a stomachache. I thought he just didn’t want to go to school, but my wife said we should go to the emergency room. It turned out the stomachache was Burkitts Lymphoma. That was on October 16. Dr. Odlum scheduled tests, and we took Jamal to Florida and he was operated on Oct. 27. After the second round of chemotherapy, they said there was no more cancer."

Castor praised the American Cancer Society and Lorraine Bass for their help, financial and emotional, while giving credit to God.

"It was a miracle," he said. "I thank you."

Later, Castor, surrounded by his family of five including Jamal who offered a shy smile, told of taking Jamal to church.

"They did a laying on of hands," he said, "but later Jamal told me he felt a hand on his head, and felt something go through him. That was God. No one had placed a hand on his head."

Castor said Jamal, who just graduated from Gladys Abraham Elementary School, "played basketball with me the other day, and he’s on the swim team."

Baa said she was happy to have been able to help with the Castor family.

"It was not easy, not at all," she said, flashing a big smile. Keeping one eye on the stage activities, she said the Relay for Life drew more than 80 teams this year, which was evident from the plethora of tents dotting the infield.

The infield was filled with booth after booth, from Cassie Mallory’s Total Fitness, which was selling Cupcakes for the Cure, to the International Capital and Management Company’s elaborate tent decorated with pastel curtains. International Capital was serving local dishes such as saltfish, peas and rice. The Department of Labor’s internship program had a colorful kid’s tent, complete with a walk-on checkerboard.

Baa was very upbeat about the fundraising target.

"Our goal is $225,000, and with all these teams, I think we’ll make it," she said.

About herself, after the 24-hour day and night, she said, "I’ll be fine. I’ll sleep tomorrow," a sentiment voiced by all of the relay team members, who said they relied on each other, lots of fun and lots of food to survive the night.