Mary Harris

May Harris is a special member of my Family.  I met her at the American Cancer Society Relay For Life of Southern Nevada more than 5 years ago with her daughter, Michele Harris-Dixon, and her sister, Sheila. It was my first Relay in Vegas, and I loved their antics as they walked around the track in their purple Tutu and noise makers.   Mary was the heart of our Relay events. She built the human connection with everyone she met on why we need to fight to bring hope to those who hear the three deadly words, "You have cancer." She always drove us to reach higher than we believed possible during our campaigns. She talked me into being the lead twice for the Las Vegas Campaign, and I never turned her down for anything she asked of me, as I did not want to let her down.

What I loved about her is that she made me feel like Hamako, Alicia, and I were part of her blood family. After I retired from UPS, we moved to her family team in Relay, Sisters of the Heart, and I was even a co-captain for one year.

She was always laughing about something I would say, especially when I would playfully banter that she was getting easier to catch as the years went by. She would regularly send me a text saying she was thinking of us(Hamako, Alicia, and me) and wishing us a blessed day. It's one message string I don't think I will ever delete from my phone.

From my understanding, she never personally experienced cancer beyond her family and friends, but she and her family fought it ruthlessly through American Cancer Society programs.

Here is the video I edited from our Jay Gambino-hosted Celebration of Life. I only captured him talking about Mary at the beginning of the show.

Rest in Power, Mary! We are going to continue your legacy.