Let's Make History

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,

Alexa Vignone

Greek Recruitment Committee

More Memories

Relay for Life has been a significant part of my life for as long as I can remember. I have years worth of memories of going to the event in Winchester with my mom, dad, brother, and sister. Initially, in remembrance and celebration of my grandfather, and - as the years went by - for so many other family members and friends that have been impacted by this terrible disease.

My "Grand Jerry" was diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer and lost his battle on April 25, 2003. Although his year-long battle was relatively short, the Grand Jerry with cancer was no different than the one I knew before. Shortly after his diagnosis, my parents told my siblings and me that he was very very sick, but I never fully grasped how ruthless and awful cancer was because he never let it dull his spirit. However, the day I heard my parents tell us that we could no longer sit on Grand Jerry's lap because he had become so weak was the first time it truly hit me what this disease was actually doing.

The winter before he passed away, we got a huge snowfall that had us out of school for an entire week. I will never forget sledding at his house that week. Despite being at one of the toughest points in his battle, he stayed outside with my brother and me for hours, hauling us back up the hill in his John Deere gator after every thrilling ride down the hill in his backyard. (Part of the reason why I dislike sledding to this day because I never understood why people would want to go down the hill just to have to walk back up it?)

My Grand Jerry was one of my favorite people to spend time with as a child, and the nickname given to him was no coincidence. He left my siblings, cousins and I with so many wonderful memories - homemade milkshakes at his house, day trips to Jammin' Gym, and rides on his "gator" around the yard. He made these lasting memories with us so that cancer would not win. To this day, I still cherish the limited, but grand memories I was able to make with him. Although it may seem he eventually lost his battle, in my mind he truly won it in by the way he made an impact on our family.

I Relay so that time with loved ones is not cut short by this terrible disease. I believe that we have the potential to see a cure for cancer in my lifetime, and so by Relaying I hope to do my part in making this a reality. I also Relay in loving memory of my Uncle Bob, in celebration of my Grandma, and for the many other people in my life who have been impacted by this disease.

My grandfather was truly an amazing man and is the primary reason why I Relay. I Relay so that time with friends and family is not cut short by cancer. I Relay for more birthdays, more holidays, and all-in-all more memories together with the ones we love.

With RelayLove,

Emily Smith

Publicity Committee

Sunday Shoutout: Maria Mencini

Hey Relay friends/family! Take a hot sec to check out this week's amazing shoutout: Maria! And just in time for the Trifecta challenge! Be sure to check out her Relay page for more information or to make a donation and to look at this for more information on the challenge (after all, HOO doesn't love beating the Hokies and Dukes in some friendly competition?!) 

Name: Maria Mencini

Hometown: Ashburn, VA

Year/Major: 4th Year, Commerce

Position on Relay: Team Recruitment Co-Chair

Why I Relay: For Scott Vivian, my best friend's dad,and so no one has to have a wonderful life cut short by cancer.

Why I’m Excited For Relay: I love seeing everyone come together and have an awesome experience at the main event in April. This year we really want to get as many people there as possible! On that note, this Monday through Wednesday we are doing a "Trifecta" recruitment challenge with JMU and Tech to see who can get the most new people registered - so sign up this week and help us win!!

Did you know: I studied abroad at Oxford 

Favorite Flavor of Ice Cream: Strawberry

We Are Not Helpless

What happens when the strongest person you know suddenly gets hurt? What if there’s nothing you can do…no bully to yell at, no Band-Aid to stick on?  What if you suddenly have to become your rock’s rock?

Many people will tell you that I am obsessed with my mom.  Not even just my best friends...I’m pretty sure that anyone who has spent more than three hours with me could tell you that I love my mom more than any living or nonliving thing on this world.  Our relationship has long transcended the mother-daughter border and carefully made its way into best friendship.  This story, however, goes back to a time when she was more my mom in the traditional sense. Mom with a capital M.  Invincible, strong, untouchable. Or so I thought.

It all started on a day which was disguised by the regularity of 7th grade life in suburbia.  I was fully immersed in a world of the cool girl lunch table, middle school crushes with long hair and skater shoes, the advance dance company, my nerdy-but-awesome magnet school, and my beloved summer swim team.  My mom, the strongest and most constant presence in my life, sat me down to tell me that she had been diagnosed with a particularly invasive case of a rare gynecological cancer.  Everything changed.  I was suddenly forced to realize that my mom was not only mom with a capital M, but was a human being who could be threatened by the same forces as anyone else.  My mom, the glue that held my family, my life, and my world together, suddenly needed us to do the same for her.  

The worst part of my mom’s cancer was the fear that came with it.  Only several hundred cases of her type of cancer have been recorded in the world, and we could not find a doctor within driving distance who had treated it before.  My mom’s treatment plan became a two-fold journey of trying to get her better as doctors tried to learn more about the disease along the way.  The only thing they seemed to be sure of was the high likeliness of spreading and recurrence.  It was finally decided that the best way to treat my mom’s case was to surgically remove it...something that sounds not-so-fun and is even less fun than it sounds.  My mom underwent invasive surgery and a difficult recovery process.  My dad, my little sister, and I did what we could to help her feel happy and comfortable as she made her way back to health.  

Though it was a while ago, I still very much remember the strong waves of helplessness that came over me each time we brought my mom to a test, biopsy, or check-up.  I am a person who likes to be in control, and this inability to control the hurt that was affecting my mom, the best human in the world, was completely infuriating.  The world wanted me to go on with life - with the lunch table, with the boys, and the dancing, and the school work, and the swimming - while the person I looked up to most was suffering with something I could not fix.

After a more recent bout with Melanoma, my mom is now officially cancer-free.  And yet, as I have grown-up and more of these untouchable, invincible rocks in my life have been affected by cancer, this feeling of helplessness remains.  What could I do about my neighbor (but more like family member) Mrs. Judy being diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer?  What could I say to my best friend as she laid teary-eyed in my bed explaining that her mom’s doctor had found a lump?

This helplessness is why I Relay.  Because you know what?  We aren’t helpless.  Relay For Life gives us a beautiful and effective way to bond with survivors, patients, and caregivers as we take steps each day toward finding a cure.  It gives us an opportunity to use the resources and networks we have to put money in the right hands and to make a real difference.  We, regular human beings - not doctors or researchers or experts, have the ability to be the catalysts for programs that research rare cancers like my mom’s and find a cure.  We have the ability to help people with cancer all over the world get support through programs such as the Hope Lodge which houses people undergoing treatment far from home, Road to Recovery which drives patients to treatments, Look Good...Feel Better which provides wigs for patients going through chemotherapy, and Reach to Recovery which helps patients seek support from survivors.  

   

What happens when the strongest person you know suddenly gets hurt?  You recognize the problem, and you fight back. In 2015, 1,658,370 new cases will be diagnosed in the US, and 589,430 people will die from cancer.

 

 It keeps happening, and I won’t stand for it. 

 I won’t sit down and let it happen.

 I refuse.

 I will fight back.   

With RelayLOVE,

Katelyn Saks

Mission & Outreach Committee

Fighting for a Fighter

On September 30th, 2006, I jumped out of bed, overflowing with joy, for my older brother’s bar mitzvah would take place that day. It would be a full day of togetherness with family and friends, and a really fun party later that night.

At that point in time, my mom had been fighting breast cancer for over 3 years. The cancer had metastasized to several parts of her body over the course of her battle. Even at the age of 11, I was aware that her sickness was not to be taken lightly.

What I didn’t know at the time was that Mom’s disease had reached its final stage by the time Jake’s bar mitzvah came around. What I didn’t know at the time was that Mom would pass away just six weeks later.

Aside from my young age, there was a very important reason behind my not realizing the late stage of Mom’s cancer on Jake’s bar mitzvah day. 

I vividly remember Mom on this day. I remember how she could not stop beaming with pride, not even for a second, at my brother during the 3-hour prayer services. I remember her excitedly mingling with every single guest (we had a LOT of guests) during the post-services brunch, and wanting to genuinely catch up with each and every one of them. I remember all of my friends and my brother’s friends running up to Mom and her giving them all her famous hugs, because Mom was so warm and made all of our friends feel like her own children. I remember how Mom danced the whole night at the party…I do not think she sat down for even 10 seconds.

This one bar mitzvah day is just a glimpse into the sunshine that Jill Albert was. She never let the physical or emotional affects of cancer keep her from shining with the greatest radiance and the most contagious smile. She never let the anger or sorrow that many cancer patients regularly feel keep her from having only the kindest of hearts. She never let her preoccupations with doctor appointments, chemotherapy, pills, and countless other treatment related responsibilities keep her from being as involved as she could be in her kids’ childhoods and her community.

As I get older, and the years pass, I miss Mom so much. But I also become increasingly in awe of her. I realize more and more every day just how much of a fighter this woman was during such a painful, steeply uphill battle. Even though cancer took her life, I don’t think cancer actually won. I think Mom’s liveliness in the midst of dying reflects a true victory.

I Relay because Mom was a fighter and to honor her memory, I must fight in any way I can. I can easily picture her running every Relay For Life 5K, leading a team in the Relay For Life flag football tournament, enthusiastically pulling that all-nighter at the big Relay For Life event in April. She’d be doing it all, without a doubt. So I do it for her.

RelayLOVE,

Jamie Albert

Fundraising Committee

Mission Monday: Look Good...Feel Better

      One of the most devastating effects of cancer can be something outside of the physical tole the chemotherapy, radiation, and other treatments - people watch their body begin to change without their control. They may undergo hair loss or a mastectomy. Learning to adjust and become comfortable and confident with these new changes can be a challenge for many men and women. 

I remember working with a veterinarian the summer between my first and second year of colleges who was facing breast cancer for the second time. She made the decision to have a mastectomy because she knew it was the best way to combat the disease - but this did not make the decision any easier. She is one of the most confident and strong women I have met - and watching her struggle not only to make the decision but how to cope afterwards broke my heart. But she, like many other men and women, are incredibly strong and have an amazing support system through programs like Look Good...Feel Better. 

Look Good...Feel Better was established in 1989 by the Personal Care Products Council with the goal of teaching men and women how to use make-up, wigs, nail polish, and other beauty products to build up their confidence following any cancer treatments.  The organization trains hairstylists, wig experts, estheticians ("a person who is knowledgeable about the nature and appreciation of beauty, especially in art" for those of you like me who had know idea what that meant), make up artists, and other cosmetology professors and makes them readily available to cancer patients in salons. So basically a beauty salon? How cool is that?  

They say a picture is worth a 1,000 words so does that make a video worth 10,000? I'd say so.  To understand the full grasp and importance of this program check out this video about Brenda. She's 51 years old, so roughly the same age as most our parents, and facing bilateral breast cancer.  Such a simple thing like make-up and a wig can make such a difference. For you girls out there, think about how fun it was to dress up for prom (or prah-em as my high school called it)?! 

That's the important message behind this and all of the American Cancer Society's programs - these are real programs affecting real people. While Relay and ACS are national programs that are run by thousands of people, the goal is to benefit individuals - people's moms, dads, sisters, brothers, children. And to show them that they are heard, supported, and loved by an incredible number of people. 

With RelayLOVE,

Maria Wnorowski

Through the Daily Fight

I participated in my first Relay For Life event when I was in the 6th grade. Growing up, my youth group always participated in Relay For Life events so when the spring of 6th grade rolled around, I was beyond excited to have the chance to stay up all night long! The theme for this event was “Through the Decades” so naturally dressing up was a must. As if the psychedelic 80's outfit itself wasn’t enough, I made sure that bright pink blush and blue eye shadow were a part of the finished look—not one of my better fashion forward moments…

While this was an incredibly memorable and enjoyable time, looking back, I really had no idea what impact Relay For Life events had on cancer patients, survivors, or even my own life.  I had known neighbors, family friends, and acquaintances that had been affected by cancer, but the disease had yet to affect me on a truly personal level.

All of that changed the summer before my senior year of high school. On my family’s annual beach trip, we noticed a significant decline in my grandpa’s appetite level along with complaints of stomach pain. Shortly after he returned home, GrandJack was seen by a doctor and received his diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. It was heart breaking. I couldn't fathom what was happening. 

That summer was a whirlwind. My family spent many hours driving back and forth from our house in Roanoke to my grandparent’s house in Newport News. Although my grandpa began chemotherapy treatment, the cancer continued to invade. Each time we arrived at my grandparents’ house, GrandJack's state was progressively worse. It was so saddening to see the complete transformation of someone who was once so lively become so debilitated. After weeks of treatment without success, my grandpa eventually made the decision to discontinue his treatment as the pancreatic cancer became even more invasive and the chemo was no longer helping.

My grandpa was the ultimate people person; making anyone and everyone feel adored and appreciated. Even during his worst days, as the cancer took over, he never failed to complement me or tell me how much he appreciated all that I was doing for him. Maya Angelou’s quote sums my grandpa up perfectly when she said, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” That truly was my grandpa; he always made you feel incredibly special. 

On September 16th, 2013, GrandJack, after a tremendous fight, passed away. To lose him was like nothing else I’ve ever experienced before and he is, with no doubt, thoroughly missed. Today, I Relay for GrandJack who kept hope and fought till the end.

I also relay for my Aunt Jane who was diagnosed with large cell neuroendocrine cervical cancer this past July. This diagnosis was particularly hard to comprehend due to her good health and young age. What’s more is that it felt like we had just grieved the loss of my grandpa so recently. This specific cancer is extremely rare with less than 100 women being diagnosed a year.

My Aunt Jane’s fight thus far has been steady but exhausting. The cancer is aggressive so therefore the treatment she is undergoing is aggressive. My aunt takes this new segment of her life day by day, as they each come with their own challenges. Despite the setbacks during her road to recovery thus far, her positive attitude and outlook on this journey are inspiring. Her updates on Facebook include notes on how to rock a scarf daily, the reason why Panera should sell a teal ribbon bagel in addition to their October pink ribbon bagel selection, and her attempts to find a slogan as catchy as “Save the Tatas” for cervical cancer. I, along with her many other supporters, wear my “Join Jane’s Fight” bracelet as a reminder of her battle with cancer everyday.

The bottom line is that Relay For Life’s mission is so important for you, for me and for everyone, because cancer affects all of us. I’ve come a long way in understanding the importance of what this organization does since my 6th grade year and I could not be more honored to be a part of a movement that hopes to see a cancer-free world one day.

But until then, I will continue to relay—for those who have lost their battle, the survivors, and those who are currently fighting.

[In loving memory of my grandpa and in honor of my Aunt Jane and her current fight].

RelayLOVE,

Kirby Evett

Fundraising Committee

We Are A Movement

I’ve never been one to do much with my hair, so when I showed up to school one day with a drastic haircut, people took notice. I’ve never been one to wear much jewelry either, so when I began showing up to school with a diamond-encrusted gold ring, people took notice. I made these changes because admittedly, I wanted attention, but not for myself.

I absolutely loved it when someone complimented me on my hair (or lack thereof) because I could tell them that mailing 12 inches of my mane was the biggest “Am-I-really-doing-this” moment of my life, but it was so worth it because someone was going to have a wig that made him or herself feel more confident.

I loved to hear from others about their enthusiasm for the idea and how they wanted to donate their own hair (hello bob haircut trend 2013). I also loved (and still love) when people comment on my ring so I can tell them about my aunt who fought pancreatic cancer for over two years, despite the fact that she was told she had two months at the time of diagnosis, and how much I admired her.

Even though I love bringing attention to the fight against cancer, I also hate it. Because of cancer I didn’t get to graduate with my childhood best friend by my side. My aunt can’t fulfill the promise she made to me the last time I saw her: that she would be at my wedding, years down the road. Because of cancer I and millions of other people worry, hurt, and cry over loved ones. But I don’t contemplate passively over how cancer has affected my life. I have too much hope for that.

I, along with so many others, relay because we share the same ridiculously large amount of hope. We channel that hope into the belief that we will finish the fight against cancer. We refuse to be apathetic in a society that has the tools and means to alleviate suffering and find a cure. We look forward to the days where future generations to come won’t ever have to shed tears because someone they know died of cancer. We are a movement.

This movement has so many positive influences, big and small. For me, Relay for Life has blessed me with a family that I wouldn’t trade for the world. For others, specifically cancer patients, Relay for Life funds cancer research, the creation of wigs, transportation for cancer patients, lodges for patients who live great distances, support groups and caregivers, and so much more.

Cancer sucks. Join me and millions of other relayers so we can create a cancer-free world.

With RelayLOVE,

Christina Kim

Team Engagement Committee