Lynne's Network of Angels Gear Up for Greater Attleboro Relay for Life

June 10 will mark the sixth year Rebecca Hudson has walked to raise money to support people battling cancer through the Greater Attleboro Relay for Life. 

Hudson and her team, Lynne's Network of Angels, have so far raised $4,200 through donations and a golf tournament held Saturday. Still, the team is determined to reach its goal of $10,000.

Hudson's participation in the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life started when she was a sophomore in high school. 

"I always enjoyed volunteering and was drawn to the positive energy that surrounds this event," Hudson said. "Through that organization, I was able to get my family involved as well."

The Relay for Life, however, suddenly took on a new meaning for Hudson in late 2008. During Hudson's senior year of high school, her mother, Lynne, was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer. The Attleboro native died just six short weeks later. 

"Prior to that, I had never been that close to someone with the disease, and now I participate so that less and less families have to go through what mine faced just a short time ago."

"My family and I now participate in her memory (through Lynn's Network of Angels) and for all of those who have been in similar situations as our own," Hudson said. "It’s overwhelming to think of how many people are affected by this terrible disease each year, but participating in the Relay for Life is a very powerful way to join together and fight back."

Hudson and her team of 11 dedicated angels, led by team captain Robyn Crowe, have been fighting back through the Relay for Life for several years and hope the community will help them to reach their goal. 

"We participate because our family has seen loss as well as survival against the odds," Crow said. "We have another family member who is an adult now, but as a small child was diagnosed with leukemia.

"Thanks to break throughs in treatments she survived against incredible odds and even now she continues to be a survivor having recently had a brain tumor removed," she added. "This event is a moving event that remembers those we’ve lost but it also is a fun event that celebrates the survivors."   

Celebrating the survivors is one of Hudson's fondest memories of past relays. 

"To have a visual representation of the people impacted is always very inspirational, and it serves as a reminder of why everyone works so hard to make this one night a year so unforgettable."