Whitney Cyr
Managing Executive Editor
It all started with one person walking around a track nearly 20 years ago. Over time, the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life event has blossomed into a nationwide fundraiser for cancer, with millions of participants. The man who started it all, Dr. Gordy Klatt, began the event by walking for 24 straight hours, as a way to symbolize the struggle cancer patients go through every day.
He was single-handedly able to raise $27,000 for cancer research. The next year, nearly 340 people stepped up and walked. As of 2013, the American Cancer Society has raised over $4 billion for cancer research, according to the ACS website.
The charitable event celebrates cancer survivors, the families of those affected by cancer, and the caregivers and the doctors who support and help treat cancer patients, in addition to raising money.
As senior and co-chair for Relay for Life at Keene State College, Rebecca Lazinsk says the event begins at night and continues on into the day, another way of symbolizing a cancer patient’s struggle to find hope. Lazinsk is no stranger to the difficulties faced by the onset of cancer, with both of her parents afflicted by it.
Today, her father is one of those cancer survivors that Relay celebrates. Lazinsk has spent four long years building the event up at KSC, ever since she was a freshman, and she says every year, more and more people participate and come to her to help.
“It’s amazing to see so many people come together for this event, it means so much for people to take time out of their daily lives to help others who are in need,” she said.
“The support that we get, the support that I’ve gotten since I’ve watched it grow is insane. The first year we reached $18,000. Last year, we hit $32,000,” she said. “Everything has gone up every year. It’s wild.” She said her goal for this year is to keep that momentum going.
The recipient of the college’s Presidential Leadership Award last year, Lazinsk said she always looks for ways to help others through her membership in Circle K to her involvement in Relay for Life not only in Keene, but as a representative in New England as well. Ever busy juggling her many responsibilities, Lazinsk organized a kick-off party for Relay for Life on March 6 in the Night Owl Cafe, where members of the Relay committee baked cupcakes for everyone to decorate. In addition, the event served as an information session on how to get more involved in Relay and how a team can sign up.
Emily Davidson-Toman, a senior, said she decided to get involved in Relay simply because it’s for a good cause.
“I’ve been involved for three years, and I enjoy the event every year and it’s great for community service,” she said. She said community service is important because it helps others.
“It’s important that money is donated for cancer patients’ care,” Davidson-Toman said. There are some new aspects of Relay on the horizon, including a new theme–birthday. “It’s all about celebration,” she said. Lazinsk said this year the organization is making an even larger publicity push, so everyone on campus can see what Relay is about and why they should become a part of it. “We’ll be on Appian Way, in the [Young] Student Center. We’ll be asking student organizations on campus. We don’t want to leave anyone untouched.” She said her goal this year is to have the whole campus know what Relay for Life is and what the committee does. That money that Lazinsk was able to help fund raise last year went to a spectrum of different ways of helping cancer patients, not just research.
Chemotherapy takes a drastic toll on the human body, and one of the first victims of chemo treatment is hair.
As it falls out, it’s oftentimes difficult for a woman to cope with–it’s a symbol of her womanhood. The money raised from Relay for Life helps buy wigs for cancer patients. In addition, the ACS provides a service to help women with nail care and even make-up application. Money from the event also gives cancer patients lodging for those who need to travel far for treatments and transportation to and from the hospital in order to receive their treatments. A vital and essential service, patients don’t have to worry about how they could get to the hospital and where they would stay. According to Amy Haseltine, a community executive in development for the American Cancer Society, money from Relay for Life has also gone to fund the world’s best physicians to fund their cancer research. Some of the recipients of funding from the ACS have gone on to win Nobel Prizes for their work. Haseltine has spent the past twelve years devoting her time to the American Cancer Society. She began to be involved after her brother was diagnosed with cancer.
“My first Relay, my brother was diagnosed with cancer, it was a really healing and empowering experience to feel like instead of being helpless, even walking around a track, even though it’s so basic, it can actually make a huge difference in someone’s life,” she said. Haseltine said involvement in Relay is a character building experience.
“Even though you might be having a bad day, there’s someone out there having a worse one, so it keeps everything in perspective.” Haseltine is working with Lazinsk this semester to put on KSC’s Relay event. Christy Nguyen, is a cancer survivor and a student on campus.
Her sophomore year, she said, she spoke during Relay for Life about her experiences and has been involved ever since. “It was really uncomfortable talking about my condition the first time; it was overwhelming talking to a group of a hundred people,” Nguyen said. But community service such as Relay is a support system for those who have lost loved ones to campus. “It’s a good bonding experience and a lot of people need that unity.”
“Every person who relays has a role in finding a cure. When a cure is found one day, every person who does Relay can say they had a part in it, and they can own it and be proud of that. They can make a difference,” Lazinsk said.
Whitney Cyr can be
contacted at
wcyr@keene-equinox.com
