Through night, illuminating need for a cure for cancer

 by Shayna Schuman
 published on Monday, April 21, 2008

Lindy Mapes / THE STATE PRESS

UNTIL THERE'S A CURE: To the cheers of spectators, cancer survivors walk the opening lap at the American Cancer Society’s ‘Walk For Life’ event at Sun Angel Stadium on Friday to raise funds for research.

Relay for Life has become a ritual for Britlin Kohrs.

Kohrs — with thoughts of her sister, who had leukemia, and her mother, who had thyroid cancer — has walked in the American Cancer Society fundraiser since her junior year of high school.

Friday night was no exception when the justice studies junior, along with fellow members of her team, Team Light Green, raised more than $4,000 and walked in the relay.

"The best part is just being with a bunch of people here for the same cause: to raise money," said Kohrs, who, two years ago, walked through the entire night.

Kohrs was one of more than 1,500 participants who flocked to the Sun Angel Stadium track for ASU's annual Relay for Life event. The relay began Friday at 8 p.m. and ended 12 hours later, early Saturday morning.

The event took place overnight to represent that cancer never sleeps, according to the American Cancer Society's Web site.

Ninety teams participated in the event and brought in $131,850 in donations.

ASU's goal was to raise $200,000 this year, said molecular biology senior Emily Olson, the Relay for Life chair, who got involved because she had family diagnosed with cancer.

"Two hundred thousand [dollars] was an ambitious goal," Olson said.

Although ASU fell short of its goal by almost $70,000, they beat last year's amount by nearly $5,000, she added.

Graduate student Yusuf Tufail said his team, Team Green, raised about $2,300, passing their goal of $2,000. The amount was impressive since there were only about five of them raising money, Tufail said.

Participating in the relay was a first for Tufail, who heard about it at Race for the Cure, a race to benefit cancer that occurs every year in October.

The teams raised money through donations, activities at the event and luminaria bags — paper bags decorated in honor and in memory of those with cancer and those who have died.

Teams gave the bags to people in exchange for a donation. Candles were then placed inside the bags and used to line the track.

The bags were later used around midnight in the Ceremony of Hope. The lights in the stadium were turned off, and the teams gathered at the foot of the bleachers to listen to testimonials and watched as the word "Hope," spelled with bags, was transformed into "Cure."

"For me, the luminaria ceremony is the most influential part," Olson said.

Reach the reporter at: shayna.schuman@asu.edu.