Emily Evans ‘16
Relay for Life Member
Cancer is something that touches everyone. The people who I have Relayed for in the past were friends of my parents who I may have only met once or twice. I Relayed for them because I saw how it affected my parents and how it made them feel, and I wanted to make a difference. I feel I have been extremely fortunate to have not been touched by cancer through a family member or a best friend like so many people have. Last year though, my dad was diagnosed with cancer and although they caught it early, it still terrified me. My parents didn’t want to tell me or my brother, but I found out and felt like I was hit by a bus. I put on a good face and tried to forget about all of it because I knew my dad didn’t want me and my brother to worry, but it was always in the back of my mind. As a family, we never talked about it, which was hard for me. Eventually, my dad made an appointment to remove the tumor, and as the date approached I could see how cancer affected not only my dad, but my family as well. All of our attitudes changed during that time because all we could do was hope for the best. The amount of stress and anxiety that we endured together was tremendous. In the end, my dad won his fight against cancer and he has almost completely recovered. The relief that I have felt from that entire experience is indescribable, and I never want anybody to have to feel the way my family did. Now, I Relay for my dad. Although I don’t know how, he managed to make it seem like nothing was wrong when he had cancer. I never knew if he was uncomfortable or hurting; I just knew that according to him, each day was a good day and there was always something to look forward to. My dad has always been an incredible role model to me, and cancer has showed me how much more amazing he really is. I have never met anybody as brave as him, and I am so proud to call him my dad and to say that I Relay for him.
Emily Langan ‘14
Relay for Life Member
I haven’t had the close personal experience with cancer that a lot of people have. I lost my grandmother before I was born, and a family friend died when I was really young, but overall my life hasn’t been directly impacted very much by cancer. I Relay because this could change in an instant. I have seen the sadness on a friend’s face when they share their story, “we never saw it coming, it took us completely off guard.” The scary thing about cancer is that it can happen to anyone at any stage in his or her life. Cancer does not discriminate; it does not care if you are a mother, a father, a priest, or even a small child. I Relay against the fear that people feel when their doctor’s office calls them back, and never knowing what you might hear. No one should ever have to go through that and Relay For Life gives us all hope for the day that the looming risk of cancer will disappear and we can live our lives without that fear.