American Cancer Society Relay for Life - Fort Worth, TX

The American Cancer Society's annual Relay for Life takes place April 4-5 in Fort Worth, Texas at Farrington Field.

The event kicks off on that Friday at 6 p.m. and continues through the next day, ending at 6 a.m.

"Farrington Field is really a great central location and is large enough to hold the 100 plus teams we are going to have this year," said Sheila Harrison, event chair for the city. "We are going to try hard this year to make it more of a carnival atmosphere to try and attract the community into the event."

Harrison said the committee is working hard this year to rebuild and strengthen the Relay. (Source: American Cancer Society).

Virginia Griffin, volunteer coordinator for Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) Fort Worth Affiliate, is in the planning stages of putting together the organization's annual fundraiser in the fall, Boot Scootin' For PanCAN. She lost her brother, Cecil, her niece, and some friends to the disease. (Source: Virginia Griffin).

"I was the youngest of eight. My brother, Cecil was six years my elder," says Griffin. "We'd had difficult times when our parents divorced. He tried to attend college but unable to, joined the Marines. I was a teenager. Starting then he began making an impact on my life. I remember him encouraging me to pray each night. He stood up for me when I was unable to stand up for myself."

Cecil also helped Griffin see right from wrong and stood by her during difficult times later in her life.

"When he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer he battled it with every effort with my sister and I standing by him," said Griffin. "Then, accepting the inevitable as gracefully as he could, his last request was, although I could not change the future for him (or our niece was was also dying of the same disease), to do all I could to change the future for others."

Since then Griffin says she has strived to support the efforts of PanCAN (pancan.org) with her sister and herself holding the benefit for the last six years.

"We began it in his honor but it continues to honor all of those who face this disease," said Griffin. "Before he died I let folks know if they wanted to see him, they should come quickly. They came from other states for brief visits. He told me he hadn't realized how many lives he, a country boy, had touched. But he has since touched many more lives, living on through the efforts he's inspired, as I go to Washington, D.C. for my third time this year, advocating funding of advanced research and working to increase awareness of this terrible disease. I am thankful for the inspiration my brother has been to me as he's given me a mission in this life."

A man named Phillip of Fort Worth, passed away two weeks ago from pancreatic cancer as well. He was an artist and a veteran whose last days were spent in the VA Hospital in Dallas.

"My friend told me I didn't want to see him (Phillip) those last few days. He had been to see him and told me he (Phillip) was so out of it and disoriented that he didn't know what was going on," said Phillip's friend Jon, also an artist who had known him a few years. "I kept trying to get over and see him but didn't make it."

Phillip was just diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last year and had participated in a couple of research studies at a teaching hospital in town before he got sick.

In unrelated local news, the Spiral Diner on Magnolia Street has a new "robot friend" serving as a butler/host in the lobby.

"This wonderful work of art was made by one of our regular customers and sculptor, Eddie," said Amy McNutt, owner of the diner. "He used only recycled parts to create our little friend. The metal was all scrap and the wood came from a few acres of land that had been bulldozed for a natural gas well." (Source: Spiral Diner).

In unlrelated business news, a new boutique hotel by the name of NYLO has opened up in Plano. It's the first for the company, helmed by Starwood Hotels vet Michael Mueller who helped launch the W Hotel chain, says writer David Ninh. (http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/fea/fdshops/stories/DN-fd_nylo_0103fas.State.Edition1.1061b21.html).

"Modern touches add up to a design-driven hotel minus the driven-up prices," writes Ninh.

NYLO is located at 8201 Preston Road and the phone number is 972-624-6990.