Cancer. Before
I go on, stop and think about what this word means for you. You might be
thinking about a loved one you’ve lost because of this terrible disease. You
might be thinking about the hours you or a loved one has had to spend in the
hospital because of this disease. It’s also possible that cancer hasn’t played
a huge role in your life, and if that is the case don’t stop reading now. No
matter what the case is, cancer is something that has become incredibly prominent and
invasive in our world. It is so easy to ignore the hard things, but there is no time for that. It’s time to fight cancer and make history.
This year about
564,800 Americans are expected to die of cancer—more than 1,500 people a day.
Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the US, exceeded only by heart
disease. One of every four deaths in the U.S. is from cancer. Since 1990, there
have been approximately 5 million cancer deaths. These numbers are numbers that I never want
to see again. These numbers became more than just numbers to me a few years
ago when I lost Papa to cancer.
My parents had
told me that Papa was sick and things were getting pretty bad. I didn’t really want to believe them, but I had to. For the first time I was forced to think
about the impact that cancer had in my family’s life. I sat with Papa for some
of his last hours, but he never showed a sign of weakness. Papa’s faith and
love kept him strong through the end.
Papa was a man
who was full of energy, love, and life. Nothing ever seemed to bother him and
he was always a calming presence wherever he was. He is someone that I admire
greatly and he is someone that is loved by so many people. Papa always took the
time to make you feel loved and known by him. He was a man who took the time to
have great conversations with you and give you a nice big hug. He was the
biggest Syracuse fan I know and I think he is who left me with some mixed
feelings after the Wahoo loss versus Cuse on Sunday. He also loved
history more than anyone I know. One of my favorite memories with Papa was his
trip to Virginia to chaperone my class’ field trip to Jamestown. He was so
interested and intrigued by everything we saw. His love for history has made me
think of what kind of history we can make.
Relay For Life
has given me the opportunity to contribute to something urgent, something
important, and something bigger than myself. We have the opportunity to make
history. Relay For Life has grown into a nationwide event raising nearly $5
billion to save lives from cancer. In a world where we are constantly
innovating and discovering, I have hope that we will see the end of cancer and
history will be made.
I Relay for
Papa, for Mrs. Gerkin, and for all of those who are impacted by cancer. This
disease has an impact that is far greater than anyone would ever want it to be.
Join me and let’s make history.
RelayLove,
Greek Recruitment Committee
