Oyster Bay just concluded its second successful fundraiser for cancer, the Relay for Life. This year the Oyster Bay Relay for Life earned about $100,000, said co-chair Robin Dando. "Last year we earned $150,000 but it was our first year and now with the economy and people having other obligations it was less. There were not as many participants this year either. Still it was great and we had a wonderful night." The Relay for Life ran from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. and it was a fun night for the youngsters. "It ended at a quarter to six, with just a handful of people left. There were activities all throughout the night. There were scavenger hunts; Let's Make a Deal; and food games. They asked 'Can you eat this?' or 'Will you eat that?' It was fun. Ted Vlavianos, senior director of Relay For Life of Nassau County, and teachers Brian Soper and Lydia Gomes ran the activities and did a good job," said Ms. Dando.

She said the need for funding research for cancer is great. "Cancer never sleeps and has to be fought on all fronts, and Oyster Bay put itself into the fight to help eliminate the disease. That is what counts. The community does a lot and there is always a lot going on. The Relay for Life exceeded my expectations," she said.

A great deal of work went on before the relay, including a multifamily tag sale, a comedy night and a fun fashion show held at the Sagamore Yacht Club. A great many people gave a lot of time planning and working on the many events. That was true the day of the relay too, when, as a preliminary to the Relay for Life, The Rotary Club of Oyster Bay hosted a Survivor's Dinner in the Roosevelt Elementary School cafeteria on Friday, June 6. Judy Wasilchuk, chair, was off in Cancun on vacation which coincided with the Relay for Life date, and her co-chair Amy Olivito and Bev Zembko saw to it that the dinner ran smoothly.

The tables had been decorated by students and teachers at the Roosevelt School. Each table held a bunch of flowers made of brightly colored tissue paper. Best of all, each was wrapped with paper streamers with messages like, "Keep on smiling," and "Don't forget to take your vitamins," and Hurrah for you!"

The Oyster Bay High School Interact Club, the junior version of Rotary, served the dinner of spaghetti and meatballs, and salad. A serving cart held coffee, tea, and soda. For dessert, trays of Apple Crisp a la mode were served. They were the gift of Oyster Bay Manor.

The sound of children's voices singing It's A Small World enlivened the cafeteria. Youngsters wearing matching shirts sang the song following the lead of their teachers. They used hand movements to emphasize the words, and their bright personalities shown out like little beacons of joy. The teacher announced the next song, What A Wonderful World, by Louis Armstrong. After the performance there was thunderous applause.

At one of the tables, Pat Burke read off some of the messages on her bouquet: "I hope you feel better, I wish you feel better, I hope you feel better."

Ms. Burke was wearing a purple survivor's shirt. She said her skin cancer had been a melanoma, "The kind of cancer that kills. There are also squamos cell and basal cell cancers that can kill, but it's the melanoma that really kills," she said. "Ten years ago I was diagnosed. It was in the very beginning stage. I still go twice a year or if there is something going on, three times a year, to Sloan-Kettering. They look everywhere: in between your toes and in your hair, anyplace, everyplace. They immediately biopsy the spot. I've had two basal cells, but no more melanoma," she said.

She said, "My mother had the same spot on her arm. The doctor was working on proving a genetic component to cancer. I was driving a car at age 15, and that arm always hung out the car window. The doctor didn't agree with me. You can't tell me, all those years of driving with my arm out of the car, didn't do it."

Ms. Burke said a great deal of money was being raised to fight cancer. She said, "Two teams raised over $16,000, and just consider the size of the town!"

Nassau County American Cancer Society representative Gabrielle Andrea, RN BSN, director of family services said she has trouble getting people to believe that all their free services are actually free. They include:

1. Transportation to and from a medical appointment by car or taxi or by mileage reimbursement. There are no financial qualifications for the assistance, you just need a Nassau County zip code - as is true for all the other services they offer.

2. They have a wig boutique with brand new wigs. "If you can't find one you like, and find one you want, I would purchase that for you," said Ms. Andrea.

3. Support groups: "Reach for Recovery" is for breast cancer survivors.

4. Look Good, Feel Better is the offer of the services of a makeup and skin consultant for someone in treatment. It includes a kit of makeup and a demonstration on how to use it, by a cosmetologist. "It's high-end makeup and even if you don't think you need the makeup - go for it," she said.

5. Man to Man is a one-on-one prostate cancer group.

6. There is total access to the ACS 24/seven. You can call the 800 number, 800-ACS-2345 and you will reach a live person.

7. "We have a data base of community resources organized by ZIP code," she said.

8. "We offer financial help or support group help," she added.

9. On their Internet site they offer information on various cancers and information about clinical trials available.

10. She said, "A great benefit to patients, is Hope Lodge, which is like a hotel, but it is free for patients in treatment in New York City. It is brand new. It is great for Nassau County residents because it can take so long to get into the city. Best of all, it is a 'green' building and is next to Penn Station."

Ms. Adrea got involved in working with cancer when she worked as an oncology nurse, for 15 years at Sloan-Kettering. Then, she and her husband moved to Long Island and at first she worked at Stony Brook in surgical oncology. She took a year off to have a child and was anxious to get back to work. "I wanted to work in oncology, and this is great." She said, the biggest obstacle she finds is that "people find it hard to believe that the services are free. To advertise it is kind of a struggle - to tell people it is free and there are no strings attached."

Ms. Andrea said, "It's my vision, my ambition, to get to doctors who deal with patients. They don't have to time to explain the details." But she said the NC ACS gets referrals of patients names - with all the information kept confidential. The NC ACS mails a package to the patient, and in two to three weeks they call to see how the patient is doing. "The person might say they are too tired to cook and then we can get them Meals on Wheels," she said. There is a lot available, all for the asking.

The entire Relay for Life evening was dedicated to make sure the NC ACS has enough funding for research and services.

Survivor's Dinner co-chair Amy Olivito and her daughter Danielle Olivito Accetta, an Oyster Bay High School guidance counselor are aware of the fight against cancer. Ms. Olivito has a room-changing smile. She survived ovarian center. Two of her sisters, too, had ovarian cancer and one had breast cancer. "Of the six, we lost one at age 17. Out of the six of us, four have had cancers. We do have the BRCA-1 gene," she said. The awareness means regular testing. "It's in God's hands. It takes a lot of faith and a positive attitude," she said - glowing with a big dose of that positive attitude.

One of the Relay for Life chairs, Elfia Presta of East Norwich is another of the cancer survivors. She battled colon cancer two years ago. She was operated on at Sloan-Kettering. "They found it early. They said I shouldn't have had it because I didn't have symptoms, just a little bleeding, and yet I had to have emergency surgery. There was no choice. They said I can just go back every three years, but I am going every year. I'd rather be safe. It was the most devastating thing to hear. The first thing I thought about was my kids. Not him, Jerry, [her husband] I knew he could take care of himself."

She said, when the doctor told her she had cancer, she couldn't think. She didn't hear anything else but those words. As soon as she told Jerry on the phone, he said he'd be right home to help her.

She said this year's Relay for Life was better for them than last year, since Jerry had lost his grandmother two days before and was involved in the funeral. They only could spend about an hour and a half at the event. This year they were truly involved, she said.

The local fire companies also took part in the Relay for Life. The Oyster Bay Fire Company No. 1 was on standby to offer assistance if needed. Members of the East Norwich Volunteer Fire Department took over the duty at midnight. The East Norwich firefighters also set up their barbecue grill to make burgers and hot dogs for those who were staying the night. The gates locked at 11 p.m. and only those authorized were allowed to stay over for the night.