Why Martha Stukes Relays

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Martha Stukes has attended Clarendon County Relay for Life since the mid-1990s.

That was around the time she had her own surgery to stave off breast cancer.

"I was diagnosed right around Thanksgiving 1995 and had surgery right before Christmas," she said. "I felt probably how most people feel. Why me? Why now? I asked all those questions. I had my children. You have all these thoughts that go through your mind about wanting to be there for them. You worry about dying."

These days, Stukes said she "feels good."

"I've not had anymore problems in that area anyway," she said.

Stukes was one of dozens of survivors who attended Clarendon County Relay for Life on Friday night at Manning High School's Ramsey Stadium.

"For me, Relay is about togetherness," she said. "There's a lot of support out here, and that's great."

Stukes was one of the original members of the Breast Cancer Survivors Support Group, which operates under the auspices of the American Cancer Society and Relay for Life.

"That was the first support group to start in Clarendon County, I think," she said. "Now, we have many different support groups that meet."