BY VINAYA SAKSENA

PAWTUCKET – She did not cause his death, but Lynne Peters said she felt guilty just the same when she lost someone she called “the most important person in my life” thirteen years ago.

Peters, a Coventry resident and volunteer with the American Cancer Society (ACS), recalled the ordeal her family went through when confronted with the diagnosis of what her father had thought was a case of the flu. When Peters learned that her father had lung cancer, she said she felt she had failed, recalling the times she tried to stop him from smoking as a child, hiding or destroying his cigarettes and often being scolded for doing so.
“I felt incredibly helpless. I spent my youth trying to tell my father how (bad) cigarettes were,” Peters said. “I let him down. I let him get sick. I let him die.”
Making matters worse, Peters said, she was later diagnosed with cancer herself. Fortunately, hers was detected early, and to this day, Peters has been in relatively good health. However, she came away from the experience determined to help prevent others from going through the same sort of anguish.
It was at her sister’s suggestion that Peters participated in the Relay For Life three years ago, and today she serves on a volunteer basis as Rhode Island District Two Lead Ambassador for the American Cancer Society, working on lobbying campaigns to convince legislators to act on healthcare-related issues. She was among those who spoke at the Pawtucket stop of the Fight Back Express National Bus Tour at McCoy Stadium on Wednesday.
Conducted yearly since 2002, the tour sees ACS leaders travel across the county in a bus, making stops in 48 states to hold public gatherings intended to raise awareness about cancer and issues related to it. In addition to speeches by area cancer survivors, each event sees participants sign the sides of the Fight Back Express bus, leaving messages of support for the cause. Once the sheets covering the bus are filled with signatures, they are replaced with new ones, a process that Jim Beardsworth, Director of Communications for ACS of Rhode Island, said would likely occur several times on the tour. On Wednesday, some had already taken to signing the vehicle’s wheels for lack of space on the sides.
“It’s not just going to wash off in a few months,” Beardsworth said. “You’ll have a very visual memorial to the fight against cancer across the country.”
Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Roberts was among those who showed up to show support and speak at the event, which came just hours after a similar rally in Providence. She emphasized the importance of accessible and affordable healthcare, noting the difficulties faced by families coping with cancer, including that of Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy, who was diagnosed earlier this week.
“It will be a sad and difficult experience for the family,” Roberts said. “I think they should be the role models for all of us in how we can fight this disease.”
ACS volunteer Cheryl Albright added a lighthearted touch to the proceedings, singing an a capella rendition of Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come,” in which she took liberty with some of the lyrics to make them more thematically appropriate. For example, the lines “I go to the movie and I go downtown/ Somebody keep telling me don’t hang around” saw the first line replaced with “I go to the state house and the capital,” drawing laughs and ultimately cheers from those present.
Other survivors in attendance said they planned to do more on their own in the near future to aid the fight against cancer. Heidi Morgan of Pawtucket said she would be participating in Pawtucket’s Relay For Life event, to be held in Pariseau Field starting May 30, while Diane Mariani of Woonsocket said she would be doing the same in her city on June 6 and 7.
Joanne Schondek of Pawtucket noted that her family had two teams in the relay. Having been diagnosed with the rare carcinoid form of cancer in 2006, Schondek said she was first exposed to the relay that same year, when her family convinced her to try it shortly before she began treatment and surprised her by joining her in force. Since then, she said, she would recommend it, as it showed her clearly that she had support in her struggle, and strengthened the bond with her family.
“I just think I’m really lucky,” said Schondek, who still undergoes monthly injections. “It’s a wonderful thing, because you get to find out how many people care about you and support you. Everybody should do it.”