Written by: Kim Sok

As said by Kelsey Halloran, the secretary of Colleges Against Cancer (CAC), “Cancer never sleeps,” and neither did participants at this year’s Relay for Life, who spent their night rallying against cancer.

Hosted by Bentley’s CAC and made possible with the help of the American Cancer Society, who was represented by Jamie Pernaa, Bentley’s Relay for Life took place last weekend at the Dana Center. With over 500 participants, it was a great success  and has increased CAC’s total contribution to the fight against cancer to around $28,000.

“The overall purpose and goal of Relay for Life is to bring a community together to support everyone who has ever had to hear the words, ‘You have cancer.’” said Alex Polito, President of CAC. “It is an event dedicated to remembering loved ones who have lost the battle with cancer, to celebrate the lives of those who have survived or are battling cancer, to fight back against cancer by fundraising, and to hope that someday there will be a cure,” Polito continued.

Freshman Mark Wagoner shared his story: “When I was nine years old and in the fourth grade, I began to get severe headaches day in and day out… They found a tumor about the size of a quarter. They did a biopsy and removed half of the tumor.” He continued, “I have been in remission for nine years and realize every day of my life how lucky I am

Whatever we can do to find new treatments, help those fighting, and try to eliminate cancer through research and supporting each other through events like this, we will do it. We will fight back. We will beat cancer! This is why we relay!”

Following Mark’s speech, the relay began, which consisted of the participants continuously walking around the track in order to symbolize the necessary ongoing fight against cancer. Traditionally, survivors take the track first, and then caretakers, whom assist and aid those who are unable to fight against cancer on their own. Finally, all of those who support the fight against cancer are to take the track. Participants walked and were also invited to enjoy festivities held all night.

With excellent performances from the Bentley Jazz band, Katie Auger, DJ Sid, DJ Francesco Talarico, and the A Capella group, music went on all night to complement a fun and exciting atmosphere. The Dana Center gymnasium was filled with booths selling merchandise, food, drinks, and apparel. For example, one of the tables sold raffle tickets to win Red Sox vs. Yankees tickets aside the Red Sox dugout. Furthermore, CAC organized fun activities throughout the night, such as a frozen t-shirt competition, dodgeball tournament, 90’s Trivia, carnival hour, wiffle ball, and a crowd favorite, musical chairs. For participants who stayed throughout the night, they had the chance to win prizes that were given away about every half an hour.

A large number of Bentley athletes and members of Greek Life contributed time and money in support of this event. “Greek Life is always getting involved in one way or another around campus, but having sisters that have had loved ones with cancer made this charity that much more important to help raise money for this cause,” said Morgan Curanyi, a member of Phi Sigma Sigma. “During this event, I realized how many people were affected by cancer, whether it was directly or through a loved one that had battled through it, and how important it is to help out in any way possible”  she continued.

“It was an outstanding event, and it was important to support and rally for such a cause. Everyone should definitely consider participating next year. We can definitely continue to make an impact if we all come together,” commented Matt Leibowitz, a Bentley Soccer player.

Taking place halfway through Relay for Life, the luminary session was an unforgettable experience. Following cancer survivor Mary Louise Pauli touching the crowd with her personal experiences about beating cancer, participants were invited to light glow sticks and walk around the lit-up track in the dark. The participants began taking laps around the track in a certain order depending on how they were impacted by cancer. For example, survivors went first, cracking their glow sticks and starting to walk. After a few laps, participants were asked to place their glow sticks in certain boxes to designate why they were at Relay. The choices were “To remember, to celebrate, to hope, or to fight back.”

“The most memorable part of any Relay For Life for me is always the luminary ceremony because I think that although Relay is about having fun and enjoying the night, it is also important to take the time to remember why we even have a Relay and reflect on all of our family and friends that survived or died of cancer,” said Kayla Cina, Treasurer of CAC. “It really is an impressive and amazing ceremony to witness and be a part of,” she concluded.

“The event turned out far better than I could have ever imagined. I would like to thank everyone that helped, because without them I could not have hoped for such an excellent event,” said Polito. Halloran added, “It is hard to encourage college students to stay the whole night, especially on a Friday night, but our turnout this year was greater than in previous years. The event chairs and committee members worked hard to plan different activities throughout the night to keep it interesting for everyone.”

The fight against cancer does not end here. For those interested, donations to this year’s Relay for Life can be made through their website at RelayForLife.org/Bentley. To get more actively involved with Relay and the planning aspect, please check out Colleges against Cancer meetings, Tuesday nights in the Back Bay at 9 p.m.