By AARON MUELLER
Niles Daily Star

Derek Lamson has celebrated 19 birthdays and has his 20th quickly approaching.

But the past 15 birthdays have felt like gifts to Derek and his mother, Dawn.

Lamson, was diagnosed with a rare form of kidney cancer at age four and went through months of treatment and surgeries at Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis.

“I don’t remember much of it because I was so young,” Lamson said. “Just going to the hospital and the Ronald McDonald House for checkups.”

Lamson, a Niles High School graduate, has been cancer-free for several years, and he and his mother have been volunteering for the Niles-Buchanan Relay For Life for the past 11.

Relay For Life is a nationwide effort to raise money for the American Cancer Society and its efforts to put an end to cancer. Teams of volunteers organize months of fundraisers, capping it off with an all day walkathon.

This year’s Relay for Life, which had the theme of “a world without cancer is a world with more birthdays,” celebrated the birthdays of survivors like Derek and honored those who have lost their battles.

Dawn was the chair of this year’s event that took place Saturday at the Niles High School track, and Derek, a student at Michigan Tech, stepped up his contribution to the cause. He organized and led a team for the first time and set up the first classic car show at the Relay.

“It was a totally different ball game this year,” he said. “I had to help set up a lot of fundraisers before the event. There is a lot of work fundraising that goes on beforehand.”

The car show featured just a handful of classic cars, including Derek’s grandfather’s restored 1929 Model A Ford, but Derek plans to hold the show again next year and look to draw more participants.

“I’ve seen a lot of successful benefit car shows,” he said. “I figured we could raise some money that way.”

The 13th annual Relay began with the opening ceremony and survivors lap at noon Saturday and saw people walking the track for 20 hours until 8 a.m. Sunday. The event, which landed on a picture perfect day, featured hundreds of walkers — many of them cancer survivors, wearing purple shirts.

Dozens of tents lined the circular track, many of them offering games, face painting, food, beverages, even haircuts to raise money for the cause.

A DJ was on hand blaring music through the loudspeakers, as children played in the inflatable bouncing castles and people took part in games, sports, silent auctions, arts and crafts sales and barbecues.

Results of the fundraising were not available at press time, but Dawn Lamson said she was hoping they would raise about $140,000. The Niles-Buchanan Relay for Life consistently lands among the nation’s top 10 teams for per capita fundraising.

“We were number one in 2007,” Derek said. “It really brings the community together. And it’s a learning experience. You can learn about cancer and how we can fight against it.”