The eighth annual Tufts Relay for Life on Saturday night was the only event on campus that lasted until 6 a.m., running on its participants' energy and passion for the cause of fighting cancer.
The 2010 Tufts Relay for Life began at 6 p.m. in the Gantcher Center with a ceremonial first lap led by cancer survivors. Sixty-four teams and 583 participants took part in the event, taking turns to walk around the track while enjoying a host of other fun activities and games throughout the night.
Relay for Life is the American Cancer Society's (ACS) main fundraising event. Campuses and communities worldwide host relays to raise money and awareness about fighting cancer.
The overnight aspect of the event is meant to symbolize patients' journeys from diagnosis to remission and the constant presence of cancer in their lives during that period, according to event co-chair Kate Carpenito, a junior.
The goal this year was to raise $89,000, and even before the night began, teams, individuals and sponsors together had raised over $76,000, according to Carpenito. She added that more funding will be added to that total.
"Tufts Relay is growing every year in participants and money raised," junior Sam Johnson, another event co-chair, said. "It's an awesome atmosphere the whole night."
In terms of fund raising, Theta Delta Chi (123) was the top team with $12,225 raised, and the top individual was freshman Sara Honickman with $4,050 procured and contributed.
Johnson said that this year's Relay planning team was able to enhance the night because the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Judiciary last semester recognized Tufts Relay for Life as a club, allowing it to seek funding from the TCU Senate. This funding provided the event with a moon bounce and an inflatable arena for jousting, among other activities.
Carpenito and fellow co-chair Julie Amenta, a junior, said a number of features at this year's event distinguished it from that of previous years.
One notable addition was the inaugural Fight Back Ceremony, according to Carpenito.
"It's an entire hour dedicated to the promotion of healthy behaviors, so that people can reduce their risk of getting cancer," Carpenito said. "We have a kick-boxing class, a Wii boxing tournament, a jousting tournament and plates of healthy food available for people to enjoy."
Also for the first time, hair stylists from the Amal Niccoli Salon in Somerville cut participants' hair for donations to Pantene Beautiful Lengths, which makes wigs for cancer patients. Twelve students volunteered to have their locks shortened and donated, according to Carpenito.
The night also included a Tufts Student Resources fitness class, music from a DJ, a ping pong tournament, tie-dye and a hypnotist show. There were also performances by Tufts groups such as La Salsa, the Irish Step team and the Jackson Jills.
The Relay for Life theme across the country this year was a birthday celebration, Amenta said.
"The [ACS] made a new slogan for this year: Recreate a world with more birthdays and less cancer," Amenta said. "Through more research, we can create a world with more birthdays because people affected by cancer who maybe wouldn't even live to see their 10th birthday will live to see many more."
Many people at the event had a personal reason for relaying to fight back against cancer. Some had seen family members suffer after diagnosis and experienced the pain they felt, and others were simply struck by the ubiquity of the illness in the world. In the case of two of the co-chairs, cancer has struck even closer to home.
"I'm a cancer survivor — I had a rare type of leukemia through high school," Johnson said.
He added that his grandmother, uncle and two good friends have also battled the disease. "I've been around cancer for a long time, so that's why I come to Relay," Johnson said.
As she described in a speech at the start of Saturday's relay, Amenta was also personally diagnosed with cancer in high school when doctors discovered a malignant brain tumor.
"I was affected by cancer and overcame it, but my story is just the triumph of one," Amenta said. "There are plenty of those diagnosed who weren't as fortunate as me, and I want to just help see that there are more people like me in the world. Relay has become a much more personal experience for me since my cancer, but I cared even more after coming to Tufts because I saw how much we can do to create positive change."
Johnson, Amenta and two other Tufts survivors led the initial lap around the track that started the event.
Amenta noted that everyone at the all-night marathon event was eager to participate because they have all been impacted by cancer in some way, whether vicariously, personally or emotionally in any way. Inspired by their individual experiences, participants joined in an effort to help limit cancer's future reach.
"For one night, everyone comes together for something totally selfless and tons of fun," Amenta said. "The money we raise actually accomplishes so much in what the [ACS] is able to do."
