Melanie George(left) walks around the track with a friend Friday at the Relay for Life. By the start of the event, ARAMARK Stars had raised over $1,200 for the American Cancer Society but for sisters Melanie George and Maria Barclay, the reward was much more. “I am eleven months cancer free!” George exclaimed.
Joining the other ARAMARK Stars teammates Friday, George and Barclay participated in the Relay for Life at Frostburg State University, walking for a cause that has personally impacted their lives. Three years ago, they lost their grandmother to leukemia. George’s own cancer diagnosis came as a shock. “I was lucky because I had a lump on my neck. Anybody would have just brushed it off as a swollen gland.” She waited for two months. “We just assumed it was nothing. They told me on my 39th birthday that I had cancer,” she said. The forty year old never expected she would be fighting to survive. George’s father-in-law died last year as a result of cancer just as she herself was diagnosed. “I felt bad for my husband because his dad was dying of cancer and we were trying to get him back and when they said I had cancer, he’s losing his dad and his wife is fighting,” George said emotionally. “He had a hard time.” While undergoing treatment, George added an inspirational new member to her family, an American Bulldog and Boxer mix. “We named him Kemo,” she laughed.
While the two admit that the diagnosis and treatment last year was not easy, the outcome has improved the way they view life. “I don’t take anything for granted anymore. She got a second chance and every day is a gift,” Barclay said. At the beginning of the event Friday, George walked the Survivors' Lap with other participants who have fought cancer and won. As the crowd cheered, the mother of two proudly walked the track and held a banner that read “Survivors – Celebrating Life.” That’s exactly what she plans to do. The sisters explained that they believe that such events are important because the money collected “helps people right here in our community.” George and Barclay’s battle with cancer motivates them to raise money to support struggling families and help the search for a cure. They plan to do more fundraising throughout the year, including participate in next year’s Relay for Life.
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