Hamline community Relays and remembers

Students celebrate cancer survivors and mourn those lost to the disease at Relay for Life.

Sean Hanson, Reporter

The Relay path looped around the perimeter of Walker Fieldhouse’s bottommost floor, defined by paper bags lining each side of the walkway. Every bag was decorated with the name of someone afflicted with cancer, in memoriam, in encouragement to keep fighting the disease or in congratulations for having survived it.

Hamline hosted its seventh annual Relay for Life on Saturday, April 23, in Walker Fieldhouse from 6:30 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. The event was organized by the American Cancer Society’s Colleges Against Cancer, a nationwide effort by college staff and students to support programs dedicated to eliminating the disease.

After a brief opening ceremony welcoming the participants, the first lap was completed by attendant cancer survivors. For the second lap, the survivors were joined by those who were or had been caregivers to cancer patients. All Relayers joined for the third lap, and thereafter the main event was underway.

In addition to walking laps, participants passed the time with a variety of activities, including bingo, water pong and dodgeball. Campus organizations also set up tables at which Relayers could make small monetary donations for cotton candy, snacks, and other amusements.

Junior Kyle Schneider was present with the Hamline Martial Arts Club, and spoke of his hopes for the money raised for Relay.

“An old friend of my family’s is undergoing chemotherapy,” said Schneider. “She has a lot less energy than she used to. Hopefully this foundation can support different methods of treatment, like gene therapy. Less invasive and less damaging treatments.”

At 10p.m. the Relayers gathered to initiate the Luminaria ceremony. They were seated before the same podium from which the opening ceremony was conducted. Every participant was given two glow-sticks and told not to break them until instructed to do so.

The members of Colleges Against Cancer (CAC) arranged themselves at the same podium. Each spoke of the ways in which cancer affected the lives of every person present.

CAC member and sophomore Kenzie Foster became visibly emotional as she spoke.

“No matter how our lives are affected by cancer,” said Foster. “We all share the goal that we will one day be able to say, ‘No more cancer.’”

Senior Rachel Thompson spoke as well, having participated in Relay all of her four years at Hamline.

“Cancer shows no preference. It takes young, old, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, husbands, wives, and your friends,” said Thompson. “Tonight let’s pay tribute to those we love and all those whose lives have been touched by cancer.”

The CAC members then asked the Relayers to stand and snap a glow-stick if they had a loved one who battled cancer, or similarly knew someone affected by the disease. Some broke a stick for parents who passed away, some broke one for lost grandparents and yet others broke their sticks simply for having seen cancer affect lives beyond their own families. Eventually, every Relayer in attendance stood with a lit glow-stick in hand in testament to the disease’s universal influence.

The group continued in a silent procession, placing glow-sticks in the bags that lined the Relay path. Every light in the room was turned off, but the luminescent track was visible as the Relayers walked silent laps. Only the sound of footfalls echoed through the Walker courts during this time.

Relayers left the path in small, but steady numbers as the ceremony progressed. Some broke away in pairs, hand in hand and sharing hushed words. Sometimes a single walker moved to the sideline with stiff movements and audible sniffing. This trend continued as the ceiling lights were slowly turned back on. When the room was once again brightly lit, many Relayers were visibly emotional

After the Luminaria ceremony concluded, the event returned to the various activities and snacks available until the event’s closing ceremony. The final sum of the Relay donations came to $13,279.17.

Through their charity and support for one another, the Relayers demonstrated an ample perseverance in battling a disease which had taken many of their loved ones. The money raised speaks not only of their generosity, but of the Hamline community’s commitment to bettering social ills.