Four years ago, doctors told Kay Mickel that she most likely had two years, but not five, to live. She had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer back in August, 2006, and she is now nearing the end of her fourth year of fighting the disease.

Mickel has decided to stop chemotherapy, mostly because of the physical toll it takes and its “elusive promises of remission.” For now, she will meet each day and is glad she has no “ex- piration date.”

“When milk is past its expiration date, it turns sour,” Mickel said. “I don’t want that.” She has been invited to speak at the Luminaria Ceremony at this weekend’s Relay for Life, and her message promises to be a powerful one.

“It’s good to believe that only God knows my expiration date,” Mickel said this week. “And that I will be here as long as He wants and not a moment sooner or later. That is true for all of us.”

The Mariposa Relay for Life celebration begins at 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 15, with a survivor’s lap. From that point, teams walk the track for 24 hours straight, raising money for the American Cancer Society and awareness about the disease. Games, food, music and other entertainment take place all day and night.

The event finishes on Sunday morning at 9 a.m. In the past, the event has raised more than $80,000 each year. It has become one of the county’s largest events.

Mickel is looking forward to another spring day as she prepares to speak to the relay crowd on Saturday evening at sunset. “See you there,” she said. “God willing.”