Cancer has touched just about everyone, whether it was a friend, relative, or colleague, or someone even more distant. On Saturday, members of the Fordham community gathered on Eddies to fight this common enemy through Relay for Life. Relay for Life is a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, where teams walk continuously for a set amount of time, and one person must be on the track at all times. I did the walk with my team, the Fordham Dance Team, but other clubs like the Satin Dolls and the Fordham College Republicans fundraised as teams to show their support for the cause as well. Colleges Against Cancer organized this Relay, lead by Co- Chairs Christina Giglio and Jenna LaMagna, both FCRH ’15. They both handled the stress of planning a large event with such poise and elegance, and the end results were great.
I have very personal connections to cancer, as both my grandfathers died from the disease: one of pancreatic, the other of thyroid. I never met one grandfather, and the other was in so much pain, it was a relief he was in a better place. Do I still miss him? Of course, but that’s a tangent. In high school I felt another sting from cancer. My senior year, a junior by the name of Sonia Dubey lost her battle with leukemia. Ursuline (my high school) is a tight knit community, and even those who didn’t know her personally were shaken by the news. A young adult losing her battle to cancer is something that is not often talked about, yet Relay shed a new light on this topic when senior Amy Snopek spoke at the opening ceremony about her own battle with cancer, a carcinoma in a nerve in her wrist. Relay gave a Fordham student the chance to talk about overcoming her battle, and how Relay for Life is making a difference. I was really moved by her talk, and thought about what Sonia might say if she had won her battle, or what she would say if she could talk to us. She would probably note how the entire junior class wore their yellow junior sweaters at the next mass after her death in mourning of her passing, and how Ursuline girls still fight for her, so no other school has to feel the pain we did. Relay for Life raised about $27,000 for ACS, and they’re still taking donations! If you want to donate, click here!