On Friday, April 21st, the Elon Chapter of Colleges Against Cancer held their annual Relay for Life event in the Danieley Phoenix Activities and Recreation Center (PARC).
Relay for Life is a student-led fundraiser where students form teams that compete to raise the most money for the American Cancer Society (ACS). The event began at 6 p.m. on Friday and ended at 6 a.m. Saturday morning. During this 12 hour event, supporters raised $110,652.45 in total for ACS.
Jordan Burk, entertainment chair, had a personal connection to the cause - her father.
“I think because I had a father who passed away from cancer when I was 10 years old really showed me that I need to keep fighting and be strong and do everything that I do for him and for my family,” Burk said.
Burk was on a committee for Relay for Life last year. Through the many people that attended the event, Burk got the support she needed.
“It [Relay for Life] definitely helps to see other people and know that it’s not just you,” Burk said. “You’re not going through it alone.”
This same support was felt by Relay first-timer, Caroline Redd. When Redd, sophomore, was four years old, she was diagnosed with Acute lymphoblastic leukemia, also known as ALL. ALL is a common childhood cancer of the blood and bone marrow that affects white blood cells.
After two and a half years of chemotherapy, Redd became a cancer survivor.
“It’s hard to meet one person who’s not affected by cancer in some way,” Redd said. “Seeing everybody in the room together bonding over something that’s so terrible...it brings people together.”
Now that Relay for Life is over, stop by the Colleges Against Cancer office in Moseley to find other ways to support the cause.