It will be a night of remembrance and celebration as the Fort Frances Unit of the Canadian Cancer Society hosts its annual candlelight service on Sunday at 7 p.m. at St. Mary’s Church.
“It is for everyone to celebrate and remember the lives of loved ones lost to cancer,” spokesman Todd Hamilton said Friday morning.
The biennial service is sponsored by the Canadian Cancer Society as a public service.
“This isn’t a fundraiser,” Hamilton noted. “We feel it is good for the community to have something to thank the people for their generous support without asking them for a donation.”
Linda Hamilton, president of the local unit of the Canadian Cancer Society, said the service offers people a chance to stop and contemplate the disease.
In our busy lives, she said there often isn’t the chance to sit down and think about those who have been lost to cancer or those who have overcome it.
“It’s not sad,” she stressed. “This is not a ‘blue Christmas’ or anything, it is a time of reflection.”
In addition to candle lighting, local cancer survivors will talk about their experience and chamber music will be provided by local musicians.
“I think it is a good opportunity for people to come and remember people they know in their lives who have passed away, and to celebrate and acknowledge those who are living with cancer and those who are cured,” said Todd Hamilton, himself a cancer survivor.
“We can use that word cured now and there is a lot of hope now for people diagnosed with cancer,” he added.
