Q. & A. with dynamic volunteer MeLissa Olson
Meet MeLissa Olson, one of the many American Cancer Society volunteers making a difference everyday.
When did you get involved with ACS…how did you hear about ACS? 
I got involved about 12 years ago. The first time I heard about RFL my mother asked me if I wanted to walk in the survivors lap. I was too embarrassed thinking that I wasn't worthy of a survivors lap. I didn't feel like my battle with cancer was that rough since I only had surgery to remove my thyroid and lymph nodes and radioactive iodine treatment. But the next year I walked my first survivors lap, the next year I was a team captain, and the following year I was the event chair.
Why do you volunteer for ACS?
I volunteer for ACS because it gives me an opportunity to give back and make a difference in the lives of people who are currently battling cancer…to give them a voice. I volunteer to make a difference in the lives of other cancer survivors, so that they can have HOPE that someday this disease will be eradicated. And I volunteer in honor, and to pay tribute to loved ones lost to this disease so that their voices may never be lost. But mostly I volunteer because I can!
What’s your reason to participate in Relay?
I participate in Relay because it fills a need within me. It is a place that is safe for me to share my passion, my sorrow, and my joy. It is a place where I feel proud to be a survivor.
What has been your most memorable experience of being an ACS volunteer?
 I love doing Picture A Cure. I love to hear other stories and to be surrounded by the everyday miracles that we overlook: The 50 year breast cancer survivor, or the 15 year lung cancer survivor. These are the people that give me HOPE that someday cancer will be a vague memory. So every year, that is something that I love to do and fills me with more passion.
Of course one of the biggest emotional times for me would have to be as a legislative ambassador during Celebration on the Hill (COH) in 2006. That was a life-event for me. COH fired up my passion for advocacy and inspired me to become a larger voice through ACS CAN.
Tell us your story in one sentence (challenge question!)?
I had cancer, I fought cancer, I defeated cancer, I am a survivor.
How has being a survivor changed your perspective on life?
As a cancer survivor you have choices. You can choose to be bitter and think "why me?" I think that a better way to look at it is, "why not me?"
Having cancer changed my entire course in life. It brought me front and center into the American Cancer Society where I am making a difference everyday. I now can be a voice for those who cannot speak. I don't think that having cancer made me who I am…it just allowed me to be who I am.
How has being an ACS volunteer fulfilled you?
Being a volunteer for ACS has fulfilled my need to make a difference. I feel that I am now worthy of being called a cancer survivor. It is not the battle, but what you do with the battle. ACS had filled me with passion - set me on fire.
I am always thankful for the staff of ACS and ACS CAN for the passion that they have for their jobs and that it seems to be more than just a job. That makes me even more excited to do more.
What inspires you?
- I am inspired by passion.
- People who are excited about sharing their story, whatever that story is.
- People who are making a difference in lives of others.
Those people who light up the room when they walk in. I am inspired by others who are choosing to make a difference in the lives of others. By creativity and the HOPE that someday we will live in a cancer-free world ...let's start today by living in a smoke-free Michigan!
Anything else you would like to say/share?
I am thankful for the caregivers in my life…My husband, parents, aunts, sisters, brothers, nieces and nephews, and children who were by me when I was newly diagnosed. The healing kisses of my young children, the gentle touches of family and friends. The selfless acts of kindness. I am thankful for those who made a difference in my survival and encourage me to make a difference today.
HOPE is more than a four letter word. It is a choice, a passion and a way of thinking, a way of acting and sharing that can make such a difference in life.
The ACS Great Lakes Division is grateful for MeLissa, and all of our other volunteers making a difference in the lives of those touched by cancer. Thank you all for being such dedicated volunteers.
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