Written by Kylie Akins
National Breast Cancer Awareness Month is observing its 25th anniversary this October as local events raise money and support, celebrating those who have survived cancer and honoring those who have not.
Harding students and faculty are working together this month through the organization of and participation in events used to raise money and awareness for cancer. Harding students hosted Relay for Life, a 12-hour walking event sponsored by the American Cancer Society Oct 2 through 3. This Saturday, Harding students and faculty are teamimg up to join more than 40,000 people participating in this year’s Race for the Cure in Little Rock.
Race for the Cure has been an annual event since October became National Breast Cancer Awareness Month 25 years ago. It includes a 5K race and 2K family walk through downtown Little Rock, where participants form teams and raise money, creating an event that both donates money to prevention and treatment research and also speaks to the public about breast cancer.
Ellen Kreth, 2009 Race for the Cure chairman, is an eight-year breast cancer survivor and understands firsthand the need for events like Race for the Cure.
“I was 33 when I was diagnosed,” Kreth said. “Breast cancer does not discriminate. It affects everyone. Treating breast cancer is expensive, and women need the support.”
Last year, the Little Rock Race for the Cure had almost 46,000 people participate, Kreth reported. This year, with more than 40,000 already signed up, they hope to match last year’s participation and meet a donation goal of $2 million. From the money raised, 75 percent stays within Arkansas to be used for those diagnosed with breast cancer, and 25 percent is given directly to cancer research.
Harding’s College of Pharmacy put together a team of 17 people for the event this year, organized by assistant professor of pharmacy practice Christy Holland, first-year pharmacy student Rachael Nelson and second-year Melinda Munroe. Even before participating in the event on Saturday, the team had collected almost $300 by Tuesday, surpassing their original goal of $200, selling T-shirts and collecting change within the college.
“We all need to work together to raise money for the cure because the likelihood of you getting or someone you know and love getting breast cancer in their lifetime is pretty high and real,” Holland said. “Just being aware that you need to be a part of the cure now will help people in the future.”
Holland, a mother of two, is not only there to support the cause but also to expose her children to the event.
“I want to raise the awareness of my kids, too,” Holland said. “This is something that I want them to understand, that it’s important to give back what you can and be involved in effecting change in some way.”
Holland also hopes the event will inspire the pharmacy students to deal with their future patients as whole people, understanding the physical and emotional effects of a disease.
Senior Russell Woods will be participating with his friends and family in the Race for the Cure this Saturday.
“I’m going in support of everyone who has ever been personally affected by cancer,” Woods said. “I personally know what it’s like to have someone who has been affected by this. I lost my grandma to cancer a little over 10 years ago, so I try to do what I can to help out whenever I can.”
Keller residence life coordinator Debra Nesbitt is also participating with a group in the Race.
“I have friends who have been affected by breast cancer, so to me it is one way I can get involved in the search for the cure,” Nesbitt said. “When someone you love has had it, the event brings on a whole new meaning. It’s a neat way to help and be with friends. I think when people support this by doing the race, they are in turn blessed by it.”
Among the teams of Harding students, faculty, family and friends is the Student Speech and Hearing Association’s team of 24 people. Their group also designed shirts with the names of 29 families personally known to be immediately affected by cancer. Faculty members Sarah Shock and Melanie Lowry will both be participating with their mothers, both of whom are breast cancer survivors. Senior Caleb McNiece will walk with his family, including his mother, who is also a survivor.
The Harding Nursing Student Association also started their own team with about 15 members. They designed shirts for their team, and junior Tessa Markum, president of HNSA, said it was an encouragement when nearly every student in the College of Nursing bought a shirt.
The Arkansas Race for the Cure 5K will start at 8 a.m., followed by the family 2K at 8:20 a.m. It costs $26 to register online atwww.komenarkanas.org, or teams can register in person at the Race Space, located in Pleasant Ridge Towncenter, in Little Rock.
Harding students organized and led the university’s first Relay for Life October 2 through 3, raising close to $3000 to donate to the American Cancer Society.
The event ran from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., starting Friday night. Twenty-three teams, mostly Harding social clubs, participated in the event.
Harding was one of three colleges in Arkansas to host a Relay for Life, including University of Arkansas in Fayetteville and Arkansas State University in Jonesboro.
American Cancer Society representative Miranda Reynolds said Harding’s Relay for Life was one of the most positive and energetic relays she had ever been to. She was impressed by how committed the students were to the cause, many staying there the full 12 hours even after participants were soaked by the sprinklers that came on after midnight in the 48-degree weather.
The money raised goes to ACS research, education, advocacy and service projects.
