American Cancer Society painting the town purple

When firefighter Pete Trapani was diagnosed with testicular cancer at age 28, he turned to the American Cancer Society to help him cope with his loneliness and depression.

Now he wants to make sure the community-funded resource is available for others.

"I would call the American Cancer Society and speak to volunteers for hours at a time," said Trapani, 35, who works at Orange County Fire Authority Station 44 in Seal Beach. "I was angry, frustrated, scared. If it weren't for people's support and giving me hope, I wouldn't be here."

Trapani shared his story Tuesday at Los Alamitos Medical Center during the Orange County kickoff of the American Cancer Society's new "Paint Our Town Purple" campaign, intended to raise awareness and support for the organization's signature fundraiser, Relay for Life.

This year, Relay for Life events will take place in 26 Orange County communities over a seven-month period. The goal of Tuesday's event was to rally cancer supporters and survivors around a single day, officials said. Similar rallies took place across the state.

At the O.C. kickoff at Los Alamitos Medical Center – where a new, $10 million cancer wing is under construction – police cars, fire trucks and a military humvee rolled up decked in purple ribbons, antennae toppers, magnets and window paint. A sea of cancer supporters, including local mayors, military officials and cancer survivors in purple garb, crowded the hospital's courtyard to listen to survivors tell their stories and offer advice.

"Don't be afraid to talk to a cancer survivor or someone with cancer," said Seal Beach Mayor John Larson, recalling his friends' uneasiness talking to him during his battle with cancer. "People that don't have cancer need to learn how to talk to people who have cancer."

In Orange County, about 11,000 people are diagnosed with cancer each year, according to the National Cancer Institute. The American Cancer Society's Orange County chapter, based in Santa Ana, works to provide ongoing services for cancer patients, including transportation to and from medical appointments, support groups and a 24-hour hotline.

This year, the Orange County chapter hopes to raise $1.7 million, up from $1.3 million last year. The "Paint Our Town Purple" campaign should help the chapter reach its goal, officials said.

"This campaign reinforces what message we're trying to get to the community," said Jay McCullough, head of the American Cancer Society's Orange County chapter. "I think it's going to be a very good year."

Several O.C. cities have embraced the campaign, authorizing and encouraging city staff to form Relay for Life teams and decorating city vehicles, trees and street poles.

"There are more military members and their families dying of cancer than on America's battlefields," said Brigadier Gen. James Combs, commander of the Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base. "If you think of cancer as a dreaded enemy, you have to think of a strategy to defeat it. The strategy is awareness."