The crowd in the Chiles Center Saturday afternoon was a diverse array of older adults, students, young children and a corgi. But the group of about 50 people participating in Relay for Life was unified as they walked and ran around a course marked by purple streamers by their shared passion for fighting cancer.
Relay for Life, a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society (ACS), is sponsored by the University of Portland’s chapter of Colleges Against Cancer. And not only does it raise money for cancer treatment and prevention, is an opportunity for cancer survivors and caretakers of cancer patients to share their stories and raise awareness.
Many students were in attendance, including some who had undergone cancer treatment themselves.
“Cancer affected my life when I was a child,” freshman math major Ruthie Olson said. “This is my first relay, and it’s a really great way to honor my mom and how she cared for me. There was never a time I was without her on my journey.”
Olson said her mother spent countless hours accompanying her on car trips, treatment visits and overnight stays at the hospital during her battle with a type of blood cancer that caused lesions in her back. Olson was two when she was diagnosed, and says her mom was an essential part of her healing process.
“Relay honors survivors, but it also honors caregivers, and I think that’s really important. They’re the invisible people behind all cancer survivors,” Olson said.
Libby Mongue-Wymore, a volunteer for Relay for Life, began the event by speaking about her battle with Hodgkins-Lymphoma when she was in college.
“I was diagnosed when I was 20, and in college, so the opportunity to come speak to people who are in the same age group as me when my diagnosis happened was a great opportunity,” Mongue-Wymore said.
Mongue-Wymore, an ACS Cancer Action Advocate, was finishing her sophomore year of college at Washington State University when she was told she had cancer. She received treatment through a clinical trial for a new chemotherapy drug.
After treatment, she became passionate about helping others get access to research chemotherapy and raising funds for cancer research.
“After finishing treatment, I was looking for a way to give back,” Mongue-Wymore said. “A way to remember those who this disease takes away from us, and I discovered Relay for Life. I became involved as a team captain in 2001. I use to be a pretty shy person, but shyness goes out the window when you hear a cancer diagnosis, and you find a side of you that you did not know existed.”
Mongue-Wymore also volunteers with the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), which works to empower cancer patients, caregivers and researchers. She travels to Washington D.C. and state capitals to share her story with legislators and show the importance of funding cancer research.
“I have had opportunities to meet with our legislators and share my story with them in person,” Mongue-Wymore said. “I have not only become a voice for cancer research funding, but also be a voice for those who have lost their voices. With ACS CAN, I became educated on the issues and learned how my story ties in.”
University of Portland’s Relay for Life raised funds for cancer research and patient service programs, such as “Look Good, Feel Better” and ACS CAN.
Environmental science professor Ted Eckmann was in attendance, and said he hopes that more students and faculty will join the fight against cancer.
“Statistically, one in seven American adults will die of cancer,” Eckmann said. “We all know someone who will die, or has died of cancer … This should be one of the top priorities in our country because of the number of people affected.”
Said Mongue-Wymore: “Relay is an opportunity to fight back.”
