McWilliams team slated for weekend event

Darlene McWilliams and her five children -- Annie, Allison, Albert, Adam and Avery -- form the base of a team that is participating this weekend in Plainfield's first-ever 'Relay for Life' event.

Plainfield has been designated a site of the American Cancer Society's signature community-building and fundraising event for the first time in 2007.

'Relay for Life' is a thirteen hour overnight walk/run event in which participants, organized in teams, honor cancer survivors and their caregivers as well as remember friends and family who have died from the disease.

Plainfield's 'Relay for Life' event will be held at Hub Stine Field, on Randolph Road below Woodland Avenue, starting at 6 PM on Saturday, June 16 and concluding on Sunday morning at 8 AM.

Monies raised through pledges and registration fees support cancer research, screening and education.

Darlene McWilliams, who received many queries about how to make a meaningful gift in the name of her husband, former mayor Al McWilliams, who died of renal cancer in April, hopes that the 'Relay for Life' will provide a suitable opportunity for those who wish to remember their friend and former mayor.

Here is a letter being circulated to friends in the community --

It’s reasonable to think that, when it comes to life, there will certainly be a rocky road or two, or perhaps a small mountain to climb for everyone. Culturally, we continue to believe that life is never perfect, but with good planning, hard work, determination and love, one has a pretty good chance of conquering the important battles of life. History tells us that the use of such good character is how many great wars in the world have been won. And in America, we frequently witness the inspiring stories of many who have conquered great challenges of the “Mount Everest” kind. Still, contrary to all of this, far too many men, women and children will die before you finish reading this story. They are fighting a battle that as of now they have no chance of winning. And, while many scientific advances have been made and many lives have been saved, there is so much more work to be done. My strong desire to urge you to participate in the Relay for Life Walk this coming weekend comes out of my greatest personal loss, the death of my beloved one, the former Mayor Albert T. McWilliams.

In 1982 and just under a year and a half after we first met, my husband and I were married in my parent’s backyard. Like my parents and his, we were deeply in love and took a vow of love everlasting. And like our parents we kept our promise to each other. My parents were married over 43 years before my father’s passing and his parents were married for over 52 years before his father passed away. We knew that we were destined for a long and happy life together, and nothing would be impossible for us.

Our first daughter was born two years almost to the date of our wedding, and there would be four more beautiful children to follow over a period of 11 years. My husband was not only a strong and able role model for our family, but a great Dad, the most romantic husband, my best friend and mentor, and a great leader in our community. To our amazement many people who really knew us, referred to us as the “Cosby Family.” For us, this was a kind of humbling applause…and we were flattered but chose not take it too seriously. Life, we thought, was a gift and a chance to live and work in a way that would inspire others. The effects of the Civil Rights Movement rubbed off on us, and we were proud to be the beneficiaries of the fruit it bore. Doing the right thing was our duty. In our youth, we were the first in the history of our families to have gained the same rights of our white counterparts, and our children were the first to be born with the same rights of their white counterparts. We were the first in our immediate families to become college and post college graduates. We were free to dream, and life for us was better than good. We had reached the American Dream.

Although our dreams and accomplishments were big, early last summer and just months before our 25th wedding anniversary, we declared even bigger visions. And by that October, it looked like they were also about to come true. Then suddenly within days apart we received conflicting reports. First, we heard the exciting news about a business opportunity, and then, the sad news of my husband’s diagnosis of renal cell cancer. Before we could absorb the meaning of it all, or find any effective treatment, it spread throughout his body faster than a baby could possibly grow in his mother’s womb. It changed the course of our lives, forever. Just five months from diagnosis, he passed away.

Cancer is no respecter of persons, incomes, colors, or genders. It does not care about your dreams or your rich history. Cancer is the thief that comes to rob and steal in the middle of the night, when you least expect it. If it hasn’t touched your life already, it will affect someone you love, or perhaps you, yourself.

Whereas I feel certain that if heaven is possible, Al is there, I am equally certain that his family has been chosen to help inform the world about this ugly thief called renal cell cancer. We, the McWilliams family want to encourage you to take a proactive step towards fighting this demon. Join with us in the Relay For Life Walk this coming weekend. Together, we can make a difference.

Relay for Life of Plainfield
Hub Stine Field
(Randolph Road near Woodland Avenue)
6 PM, Saturday, June 16
through
8 AM, Sunday, June 17
The website is here.

-- Dan Damon

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

ARCHIVED POSTS OF PLAINFIELD TODAY FROM 11/03/2005 THROUGH 12/31/2006 ARE AT
http://plainfieldtoday.blogspot.com/