In March of 2012, my Grandmother was diagnosed with cancer and my whole world changed. For the next few months it was doctors appointment after doctors appointment, and surgery that summer. And then rehabilitation and physical therapy and more doctors’ appointments followed. Thankfully my grandmother recuperated, she wasn’t cured, but she was just one step closer. However most people with cancer weren’t that lucky. My best friend since kindergarten has a father who had been battling cancer for 5 years. Suddenly I felt like I was living in a world of cancer, everyone I knew had a story of someone they knew who had cancer. I’ve always heard the saying that just one person can make a difference, but I realized I could be that one. I heard about the Relay For Life that was going to take place at my high school in June so I, along with two friends who each had a loved one with cancer, made a Relay For Life team.

Relay For Life is an American Cancer Society organization that raises money to fund cancer research in hope of finding a cure. From February 2013 to May 2013 we fundraised for the event. With my team and the help of our family, we held fundraising events at a local pizza restaurant, advertizing booths at local craft fairs, and we even sold artwork to raise money. At our event in June, our team along with many others from around the county, stayed up from 6pm one Friday night to 6am the following morning walking laps around my school and raising more money. Staying up all night represented the motto, “Cancer never sleeps, so why should we?”.

To start the event, there was a ceremony to honor cancer patients; those who were survivors, those who lost the battle, and the first lap we walked was in silence to honor and remember our loved ones. As I took my grandmothers hand and held it in my own, we walked in silence. This was a very emotional moment for everyone. I looked around and saw many people crying, some out of happiness because they were thankful for each day they have with their loved one battling cancer, and some who cried out of sadness because were remembering a person who was once so close to them, was now gone forever. This was the moment I realized the impact my service was making. I knew that because of the money I fundraised, the American Cancer Society was that much closer to finding a cure for cancer and that I helped fund someone’s road to recovery. After the silent lap ended, the celebration started to honor those who have lived through cancer to see another day. After conversing with many people of all ages who either experienced cancer firsthand or had a loved one diagnosed, I heard many inspiring stories of survival. These stories made me realized that from the small service I had done, I was helping save millions of lives. And there is nothing that can feel more satisfying than that.