For the fifth year in a row, Lipscomb students held the Relay for Life Fundraiser in Allen Arena from Friday night to Saturday morning, raising nearly $26,000 for the American Cancer Society.
The all-night event drew social clubs, service groups and other campus organizations together for Zumba, lip-synch battles and a chance to remember those affected by cancer, and statistically, there are plenty to remember.
“My grandmother had breast cancer when I was a baby and she was about 60,” said Lipscomb senior and Relay for Life chair Angela Sullivan. “When she was about 73 it came back in her leg. It’s been just over 11 years since she passed away.
“Relay is kind of the way I can find reason in that. It’s the place to put all the hatred I have for this disease and feel like I’m doing something useful for that.”
According to a study by the American Cancer Society, the number of those affected by cancer will grow in 2017, with over an estimated 1 million new cancer cases diagnosed and 600,920 cancer deaths in the United States alone. Approximately 39.6 percent of men and women will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lifetimes.
The funds raised by this year’s Relay will be used to combat those statistics through cancer research and patient programs, which Sullivan says can be life-changing. This is why she participates in the Relay.
“When you see the kind of effect it can have on a person when they’re going through such a crappy time, it’s almost like a nonstarter. It was never a question. They’ve been an organization that I want to support for my whole life.”
While everyone comes to Relay with a different story, all share the reciprocating power of support. All of the support given to the American Cancer Society is given to patients and their families, and for freshman Andrew Comstock and his dad, that can make all of the difference.
Comstock’s dad’s fight with cancer began in the spring of 2015. They discovered the disease first in his jaw. Since then, he’s been through two twenty-hour surgeries with only a week between each, leaving him with no jaw bone and completely immobilized in a hospital bed in the meantime. He’s had bones taken from his legs to replace his jaw, he’s fought infections in his legs and he’s had to relearn to walk because of it all. Even still, the cancer spread below his neck, and he was told he was terminal.
“Last summer he actually found a clinical trial, got in and it worked. The doctors said the cancer is all gone now,” Comstock said. “They’re still watching him and moving forward with the reconstruction of his jaw bone because he can’t eat and gets all his food through a feeding tube, and he can’t really talk very well.”
In spite of the difficulties his family has already faced and the long recovery still ahead, Comstock finds inspiration in his dad’s battle and motivation in the support from the American Cancer Society.
“It’s been a real inspiration for me. I’ve seen what it really takes to be a man of God, and be proactive about things and not passive,” Comstock said.
“The American Cancer Society has specifically helped my dad find cheaper hotels. They’ve directly impacted my dad’s life, so I just thought it would be really cool to give back and get involved on campus.”
Comstock and the rest of the Relay administrative committee had the opportunity to have a retreat at Nashville’s Hope Lodge leading up to the event.
“We have the special privilege of being in Nashville where there is a Hope Lodge,” Sullivan said. “It’s where cancer patients and their caregivers can stay for free, and then they get transportation to Vanderbilt for their cancer treatments.”
The Hope Lodge is one of over 30 across the country, but the American Cancer Society has the hope of opening at least one in every state.
“Relay is kind of a family within itself. People just care about each other,” Comstock said. “It’s just a real positive environment.”
While Relay only comes to Lipscomb once a year, donations can be made year-round. To donate to Lipscomb’s fund, visit www.relayforlife.com/lipscomb. To get involved with Lipscomb’s Relay team, look out for interest meeting announcement emails this fall. If you’re thinking of getting involved with Lipscomb’s Relay team, Comstock says it’s a commitment you won’t regret making.
“Just get involved. You don’t always realize the impact you can have until you get involved.”
Photos by Ben Davis