Apopka Relay for Life: Hilda Andrade

At 51 yrs old, Hilda Andrade felt unusually tired all of the time. After dealing with this exhaustion, she decided to see a doctor. He gave her prescription medications, but the condition continued. She went for a second opinion, had endoscopic and colonoscopy testing – which came out negative.

But she still felt bad.

Then she called her cousin (who is a physician), and explained her symptoms to him. Her cousin told her to have an abdominal CT scan. That test revealed a spot on her kidney. It was later confirmed by MRI that Hilda had kidney cancer.

“One of the reasons that kidney cancer is not discovered on time is because people aren’t as persistent as I was,” she said. “I was determined not to live rest of my life taking antacids and using pump inhibitors.”

It is that persistence that makes Hilda a 13-year cancer survivor, and the leader of The Inspire Warriors – one of the 38 teams participating in the 2016 Apopka Relay for Life.

The Inspire Warriors were led by 13-year cancer survivor Hilda Andrade (second from the right in the photo).

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The Apopka community came together on The Apopka High School football field to fight this disease on Saturday, April 16, 2016. They raise money for cancer research, but they also come together to celebrate the cancer survivors and honor those that did not survive.

Friends, businesses and churches formed teams, spent the day together and walked the quarter mile track in a walkathon styled event. The “Relay For Life”.

They laughed. They cried. They danced. They fellowshiped. They remembered.

This year 38 teams, and 354 official participants participated in the 2016 Apopka Relay for Life. More than $25,000 was raised for cancer research.

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The American Cancer Society Relay For Life movement is the world's largest and most impactful fundraising event to end cancer. It unites communities across the globe to celebrate people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and take action to finish the fight once and for all.

With the support of thousands of volunteers, the American Cancer Society is helping save more than 500 lives a day.