When attorney Everette Price was diagnosed with colon cancer, he looked to friends and family to help sustain his spirits as he fought the disease.

“The thing about cancer is that you’ve got to get your brain in gear,” he said.

Price spoke to fellow survivors and participants in the annual Relay for Life event Saturday at the Brewton Area YMCA.

“I couldn’t have made it without my wife,” he said.

Teams in the event — who have been raising money through fundraisers as varied as pageants and bingo for several months — collected more than $30,000 for the American Cancer Society, chairwoman Sharon Peacock said.

“We are here to empower people with hope, because without hope, cancer wins,” Peacock said.

This year’s theme was “One World, One Cure,” but the overall mission of Relay is to “celebrate, remember and fight back” — celebrate survivors, remember those who have been lost and fight back against cancer.

To kick off the event, survivors led the way with a lap around the Relay area, and then they were joined by caregivers and family for another victory lap.

Teams participated in a variety of activities throughout the day, selling food and other tokens to help continue raising funds for the ACS.