A year and a half ago, 15-year-old Tyler Santiago was in a lot of pain in his chest and back. His doctor said it was growing pains.

But when his collarbone became swollen, testing was done, and Tyler was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, cancer of the white blood cells in the bone marrow.Mom Cassie Lamberty says they were all devastated."Tyler took it very hard," she said.While undergoing treatment in the hospital, his large, extended family and friends were there, loving and supporting Tyler. Every weekend there was a party in his hospital room.That same support group showed up in full force at the West End Relay For Life on Saturday at the Pleasant Valley High School stadium in Brodheadsville as Team Tyler's Journey."Cancer is not a battle just for the cancer patient but for the family and friends who support them," said Jenna McCrowe, Tyler's best friend for the past eight years.That is what Relay For Life is all about: raising funds to battle cancer.Tyler's 30-member team not only showed up in great numbers, but his sister Destiny Torres, 13, and three cousins, Jazmine Torres, 20; Gloria Fernandez, 13; and Krystal Sobo, 25, each donated their hair to Locks of Love at the relay."We're proud to support him and everyone else here," said his cousin, Ezmeralda Fernandez, 15, a Pleasant Valley high school student.His family is proud of Tyler as he tries to live life as normally as he can. He continues to work two jobs, one at McDonald's and another for his aunt and uncle's foreclosed homes maintenance business. Tyler even managed to run one whole lap at the Relay.Tyler is doing "awesome," according to his mother. He is in remission.Tyler's family isn't a stranger to Relay, or cancer. Tyler's grandparents, Frankie and Carolyn Lamberty, lost their son, Mark, on Oct. 23, 2013, to lung and bone cancer. Three years ago, Tyler's sister Destiny was diagnosed with aplastic anemia, a blood disorder in which the body's bone marrow doesn't make enough new blood cells. Her mother says she is doing well and is now off her medicines.Sara Walmach became a member of the Pink Panthers team four years ago when she was a freshman at Pleasant Valley."My mom got us interested, and my twin brother Jonathan and I and some friends picked the name. We've been walking as a team ever since," Sara said.Then it became personal.Sara was a junior when she developed a mass under the left side of her jaw. An orthodontist told her to get it checked out. Tests came back inconclusive, so surgery was performed and cancer cells were found. Her doctor at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia gave her a choice of surgery or radiation. She chose radiation and spent two months in the hospital."I stayed positive, and I had so much support from everyone," she said, especially from her hockey teammates, even though she never played a game that year. When she arrived home from the hospital, her team threw her a surprise welcome home party.She is considered a cancer survivor as of Nov. 2, 2012. She had a great senior year and is back playing hockey and flute in the school band, working at Rue 21 and is looking forward to graduation June 13.She plans to attend Penn State, Harrisburg, in the fall, to study criminology and is looking forward to a long and happy life.One of the notable members of Sara's team is a large stuffed giraffe."Ever since I saw it at my cousin's house I thought it was the best giraffe I ever saw, and asked if I could have it. Now he goes everywhere with us," Jonathan said.Sara and Jonathan's friend Steve Berry, 18, also a Pleasant Valley senior, said he thinks the giraffe is very appropriate for the cancer Relay."His long neck is like the long fight a patient has to endure, and the giraffe is a graceful animal and shows you can be graceful in the journey to fight cancer."Sara looks at her friends that surround her."As I walked the Survivors' Lap, tears ran down my face because there are just no words for what you are feeling. You just cry. I'm lucky to have so much support. I love them all," Sara said.