On Friday, April 8th, I participated in Pitt’s Relay for Life. This very special event raises money for the American Cancer Society. Teams gathered around the Cathedral of Learning’s lawn and set up camp—despite a downpour and chilly temperatures. The event began at 5:00 p.m., but volunteers such as freshman Amelia Brause, arrived as early as 2:00 p.m. as part of the team organizing and setting up the event.
During an inspiring opening ceremony, two women spoke to the large crowd about their experiences as cancer survivors. Then, along with a group of other survivors, they began by walking through the cheering crowd and leading the walk around the Cathedral of Learning’s lawn that would continue through the night and until the event ended at 8:00 a.m. Later, a Pitt step team and Pitt’s drum-line team entertained the crowd with lively and exciting routines. The walk is symbolic in recognizing that cancer never sleeps, and therefore teams continuously walk the path. There were also various bake sales and activities, including a scavenger hunt and an interactive scrabble game to further raise money for cancer. Music played throughout the night to keep everyone motivated to walk and karaoke to lifted spirits after the sun went down.
My favorite moment of the night was the luminaria ceremony. This allows participants to donate to the American Cancer Society in exchange for a luminaria. These luminaria bags are decorated to honor and remember the lives of those whom lost their battles to cancer. They glow and are set up around the perimeter of the event.
The ceremony began with moving speeches from two speakers who lost loved ones to cancer. The second speaker lost her father to colon cancer when he was in his young forties. For me, this was the most emotional part of the event, as I lost my uncle to colon cancer at the same age. Though these moments sparked some emotions from some extremely difficult days, everyone came together for a truly powerful experience. I also purchased a luminaria in my uncle’s memory. Next, a female acapella group from Pitt, Sounds of Pleasure, sang three beautiful songs—including Demons by Guster. The ceremony concluded with everyone walking through the lit path in silence and memory.
By the end of the event, at 8 a.m., participants watched the sun rise and had proudly concluded Relay for Life. The University of Pittsburgh raised a total of $105,000 for this amazing cause. We are really making a difference in the fight against cancer. For those who didn’t participate this year, definitely consider participating next year! I’m proud I did.
For more information on Relay for Life, the American Cancer Society, or if you’re interested in donating, click http://www.relayforlife.org/relay/
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Pitt chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.