Hello All!
Last night (and this morning) I participated in Loyola University's "Relay For Life". It consisted of 12 hours (7pm-7am) dedicated to fighting cancer and fundraising for the ACS. Loyola incorporated games, concerts, food, and probably the most well known activity, walking around the track, to the list of events for the night. It was amazing!
The event took place in the entire building of the Student Center. On the basketball court was the "track", campsites, and the deejay. On the floor below was where the concerts and ACapella performances, and most of the food was put. On the first floor of the building, there were Wii Dance competitions that were held by the Loyola Dance Team, Cotton Candy machines, and tables for seating. Overall, Loyola had about 1,300 participants in Relay for Life. A huge theme for the night was HOPE. All around the walls were posters made by the Relay Committee about hope and staying strong. It was so inspiring.
For me, one of the most emotional parts of the
night was during the Luminaria Ceremony. Upon arriving, each participant recieved a small battery operated candle. All of the participants gathered to the center of the track, where mulitple speeches were given by students about their story of cancer influencing their lives of loved ones, and "Why They Relay". One that stuck out to me the most was a girl whose mother passed away. She was a senior in high school and her mother had been having bad headaches for a long time, but doctors didn't know why. Finally after bloodwork, the doctor called and ordered her mother to be rushed to the local hospital: she had leukemia. She went in and out of the hospital for a while, and everything seemed like it would be okay. The girl arrived at Loyola that next fall, and in late September, learned her mother had passed. After the speeches were finished, the co-chairs of the committee told us to light our candles if any of the following had affected us (lost grandparent to cancer/grandparent is fighting cancer, lost mother or father to cancer/mother or father is fighting cancer...etc.) Once that was completed, everyone (yes, all 1,300 of us) walked around the track together. Music played in the background (from CD's and from the women's ACapella group), and on the jumbotron was a slideshow made from pictures emailed in by participants in memory of people that have been affected by cancer. (Sorry this picture is hard to make out....it was quite dark in there!)
For the remainder of the night, my friends and I had a fantastic time. I decided on impulse to Sumo-Wrestle with my friend Nicole. She's around my size, so I thought it'd be a fair fight....I won by a longshot. She would run into me, I would calmly take one step back, and she would fall facedown onto the floor (partially due to the weight of the costume and partially to the fact that she is lighter than me). For the rest of my friends, the fight was hilarious to watch. Let it be known, though, that those costumes are meant for people around 5'10", which is why it was even more fun because we could barely walk in the outfits! To the right is a picture of my friend Kaitlyn and I.
To the left is a picture of Nicole and I. She was actually on the Committee, so it was great for her to see what a wonderful turnout the event was!
These are some of my other friends on my Team, named Peace Out Cancer, (and who are going to be my roommates next year). L-R: Sam, Emily, Katelynn, and I'm on the far right.
By the time 2:30 rolled around, many participants headed back to their dorms to actually get some sleep. It felt really great that once 7am hit, I was one of only about 200-250 that were still at Relay and walking the track.
Overall, this was such a wonderful experience!! I really want to be more involved for next year's Relay, and I'm thinking of being a part of the Relay for Life Committee. It was so inspiring to see so many people fighting for a cause that has largely influenced my life!
http://www.relayforlife.org/
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