About one cancer a week is diagnosed in Katherine.
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Five Katherine teams have already signed up for Relay for Life this year.
Almost $7000 has been raised for the event which will take place at Katherine South Primary School from 5pm on Saturday, September 2 to 8am the following day.
Relay for Life is a chance for the Katherine community to recognise and celebrate local cancer survivors, patients and their carers, to honour and remember loved ones lost to cancer and to raise money to help save more lives.
Katherine cancer survivor Brett Page said the whole community should rally behind the event.
“Everyone should be involved, a lot of people here have had cancer,” Mr Page said.
Mr Page found his cancer by chance in 2013.
“It was a total accident, I had some food stuck in the back of my mouth and I went to get it out with my finger and my pain levels just went through the roof.
“It was cancer in the jaw throat area, I went straight to my doctor and they did a biopsy, two weeks later I was in Darwin.
“I had to spend Christmas up in Darwin then I was operated on in January. it was all so quick.”
The 56-year-old has had to retire due to his health problems.
“It shocked the hell out of me, my father died of cancer so I was worried.
“If you think you have it, don’t mess around go and get checked.
Mr Page said although he is in remission now, he still regularly attends the Cancer Council support group in Katherine.
“You can talk about things with the other survivors and what happens there stays there,” Mr Page said.
“We all know each other and even though we had different types of cancer, everyone has gone through a similar thing.”
In Katherine, 163 cancers were diagnosed between 2012 and 2014, which at equates to about one per week.
The most common cancer was found in the breast (24), followed by lung (21) and bowel cancer (20).
To get involved with Relay for Life this year head here.