What do free massages, the video game Rock Band, and Jell-O eating contests have to do with cancer?
All were activities at DU’s fourth annual Relay for Life in Hamilton Gym on Friday night, an event that celebrated the lives of loved ones lost to cancer and raised money for research.
Over 200 DU students and community members gathered for the event, which was hosted by Colleges Against Cancer and ran from 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. Over 34 teams walked around a path lined by over 100 memorial luminaria, each lit in memory or celebration of a cancer victim or survivor. Leisure activities, like limbo, Henna tattoos and basketball lightened up the mood and were available in the middle of the gym for participants who wanted a break from walking.
About $30,000 was raised at the event, falling about $18,000 short of DU’s $48,000 goal. The American Cancer Society will continue taking donations until August. Contact Brittany Tibbs at btibbs@du.edu for more information.
The event also featured a memorial ceremony where cancer survivors, including sophomores Kali Smith and James Castillo, were honored with a survivor’s lap around the gym.
“Two months before I turned 5, I was diagnosed with leukemia,” said Smith, survivorship chair of the event. “Cancer was the norm for me.”
Smith underwent chemotherapy for 27 months following her diagnosis.
“My family was a great support system,” she said. “I’ve also been a part of Relay for Life for 6 years. It’s nice to do something productive for this cause, and it’s awesome to be recognized at this event by my peers.”
Sophomore James Castillo was also diagnosed with cancer at a young age, first battling cancer at 3 and then fighting a relapse at age 8. He underwent a total of 4 years of treatment.
Castillo’s battle with cancer also strengthened his relationship with his family, but he found it hard on his social life.
“The hardest part was that I hated being different, being bald,” he said. “I wanted to be home schooled for a long time.”
Castillo, like Smith, eventually turned his medical struggle into a personal victory.
“Cancer made me the person I am today,” he said. “It’s helped me view life in a positive and selfless way.”
Smith has been in remission for 14 years and Castillo for 12.
“I think an event like this shows students that cancer affects everybody,” Smith said. “It really hits close to home.”
