Survivors at Relay for Life celebrated remission by completing their relay.

Cancer affects the lives of millions of people each year, whether directly or through a friend or loved one. It is as persistent as it is dangerous, but that does not stop people from fighting it. The American Cancer Society makes it its mission to combat cancer through research and by celebrating survivors.

On April 26, the Hofstra American Cancer Society held its annual Relay for Life event at the Hofstra Fitness Center from noon to 8 p.m. 

Alexandria Milne, a senior psychology major and president of Hofstra’s American Cancer Society, said that she took 10 months to plan the event. 

To organize an event like this, Milne and her board had to figure out a location, reach out to student organizations to raise interest, get volunteers to participate and raise money.

“An event like this is amazing,” Milne said. “I feel like sometimes you forget that there are other people who went through the same thing [you did].”

She spoke about the importance of bringing people together to build a community of cancer survivors, caregivers and those who have been affected by cancer in some way.

“A lot of survivors have met through events like this and have become friends with people who understand what they’ve gone through,” Milne said. “[It is the] same with bringing in caregivers. And then getting the community to just know what’s going on, understand a little bit more and raising, not only those funds, but awareness.” 

The event was originally to be held at the Intramural Fields before being relocated due to rainy weather. Milne said that they anticipated this problem and had a backup location if needed.

Once the event began, a variety of clubs, organizations, fraternities and sororities set up their tables around the Fitness Center, leaving the courts open for activities and paper luminaria bags.

Student Government Association (SGA) Vice President and sophomore double major in forensic science and chemistry Jewels Joyal reflected on the event’s success.

“I’ve been here since 12:30 [p.m.] and I’m really glad that it’s picked up more steam,” Joyal said. “A lot of students are coming, and everyone seems to be having fun at all the tables and activities.”

She said that, while SGA partly helped with funding the event, she wanted to highlight the efforts of the American Cancer Society in putting it all together.

Matthew Carpio, a junior history and philosophy double major, attended the event on behalf of the Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, International. 

 “My cousin, personally, had cancer and survived, so me being here is just a way to support him and support other people,” Carpio said.

Like Carpio, other organizations, clubs and students came to Relay for Life to do their part in the fight against cancer. Attendees saw performances by the Hofstra University dance team, TranscenDANCE and Hofstra’s Cheer Team.

Alanalee Hughes, a junior neuroscience major, spoke about the cheer team and why they performed at the event. 

“We value the message this event spreads, and cancer is unfortunately a disease that affects many people’s lives, including the lives of those on this team,” Hughes said. “Performing at Relay for Life is a way to continue to participate in the battle against cancer and support our teammates.”

She also spoke about their song choice and the significance it had for their performance. 

“We performed ‘Fight Song’ because it’s something that unifies our university, which is [important] to unifying us to find a cure at Relay for Life,” Hughes said.

Many of the attendees were there because they were affected by cancer in some way. Hannah Alfasso, a senior history and global studies double major and member of TranscenDANCE, spoke about what Relay for Life meant to her.

“The reason why Relay for Life is so important to me is that my grandmother battled osteosarcoma when I was five years old. She beat it when I was in fourth grade, and [since I came to Hofstra], this event became really impactful for me, and I’m so happy that TranscenDANCE was able to perform, table and donate to this event.”

SGA President and senior history and political science double major Lincoln Anniballi spoke about the event’s goals and why it is important for survivors and those battling cancer.

“I think that it’s interconnected between bringing the community together and also doing it for a really good cause,” Anniballi said. “Bringing survivors here and bringing loved ones and just having everyone in the same space, having fun, doing philanthropy and just connecting with each other just means a lot to everyone. It boosts your mood when you see so many people caring.”

The event concluded with closing speeches and a luminaria ceremony. Participants cracked glow sticks and turned on flameless candles to light up the paper luminaria bags. Students, survivors and caregivers gave speeches about what an event like this means to them and how important it is to build and connect a community of those affected by cancer.

“I’m super excited with how it went with all the last-minute changes,” Milne said. “Everything ended up being exactly what it needed to be. The people showed up, the place worked, the money came through, so even though it was inside, I’m super grateful for how it went.”