Cancer has in some way affected everyone’s life at one point or another, be it as close as a family member or by affiliation as the sibling or parent of a friend. The American Cancer Society hosts its annual Relay for Life across the nation due to the many lives affected by the disease, allowing communities to come together to celebrate those who have survived cancer, to remember those who have lost their battles to the disease, and to fight back.
The Institute kicked off its own Relay for Life last Thursday at Russell Sage in the faculty dining hall. Rensselaer’s third Relay for Life event will begin the evening of April 25 and will continue through the morning of April 26.
The event takes place on the ’86 Field, where participants walk, jog, or run around the field to raise awareness to the disease. Traditionally, the first lap of the relay is taken by cancer survivors. This emotional lap sets the stage for the importance of each individual’s contribution. The second lap is for the caregivers to celebrate those people who have been involved in the care of individuals diagnosed with cancer. Following these special laps, the other participants take to the track, where each team has the task of keeping at least one participant on the track at all times.
As of now 21 teams have signed up to participate in the event, which includes a total of 145 participants. Major sources of participants are the campus greek life and student athletes. There is still time for those wishing to partake in the relay to sign up; they can do so by going to:
http://events.cancer.org/RFLrpiNY/
Throughout the night live music, themed laps, comedic performances, and other activities will be held. The event’s appearance can be equated to one of those elementary school sleepovers—sleeping bags, tents, and all. Many teams take turns sending members to the relay for an hour and then return to their campsites for rest. The night’s event allows students to join together in the mission to eliminate cancer as a major health issue.
Relay for Life was initially brought to Rensselaer in 2006 by the former health educator in the Student Health Center, Terri Kersch. Kersch herself is a cancer survivor who, before her departure from RPI, said she would be back to walk in this year’s Relay for Life.
In 2006, Rensselaer was ranked second in the eastern division, second to Cornell University, for its contribution to cancer research. As recognition of this accomplishment the American Cancer society presented the Institute with the “Nationwide Number One Rookie Youth Event” award, as well as the “Nationwide Number One Youth Per Capita Award.”
