By now, you have hopefully heard about how Relay For Life is going to be an awesome party from April 17–18, but there is another side of Relay you may not be aware of.
Relay For Life is ultimately about finding a cure for cancer. Everyone has heard of someone suffering from cancer. If you visit the Relay For Life of RPI website (http://www.relayforlife.org/RPI/), you can read the reasons why many of us Relay and submit your own.
I can tell you, my reason is no different from the others. My grandma died of leukemia when I was five and my great uncle has been diagnosed with cancer throughout his body. Due to his age and the cancer’s progression, the doctors gave him four weeks to live. Today is week five. Part of me hopes that when I walk around the track in April, I will see his name on a luminaria bag, preceded by the words “In honor of the life of.” Another part of me, a stronger part, hopes that it will read, “In memory of the life of,” because that will mean his suffering has ended. Cancer is an awful disease; we all know this. However, I am here to tell you that there is hope.
While my grandma lost her battle with cancer and my great uncle may lose his, there are so many others who win. The relative five-year survival rate for those diagnosed with cancer was 66 percent in 2003. Well over half of those diagnosed with cancer are expected to live. Fighting cancer is an uphill battle, but we are making progress.
While working toward a cure, the American Cancer Society also tries to make it easier to fight cancer. They have worked on reducing the cost of treatment and developing new methods of chemotherapy that result in fewer patients experiencing hair loss. The ACS Cancer Action Network made a huge leap last year. After gathering the support of millions of people—including many college students—ACS CAN and other organizations were able to convince lawmakers to pass Michelle’s Law, which requires insurance companies to maintain full coverage for college students who need to take a serious medical leave of absence. This was passed after Michelle Morse, who, like many others, was forced to remain a full-time student while undergoing grueling chemotherapy in order to maintain her health benefits. ACS CAN is continuing to strive for meaningful legislation like this.
You can help. Now is the time to take action. Go to the website. Make a donation to ACS, join a Relay team, buy a luminaria, join ACS CAN, and make a difference. The hope of a cancer-free future is not as distant as you may think.
