TORIN O’BRIEN and S. L. FULLER
Special to the Leader and Editor in Chief
In 2006, Fredonia unveiled what is known today as University Commons, it opened the only Starbucks (at the time) in a 35-mile radius, and held its first Relay for Life event on campus.
Last Saturday Fredonia Relay for Life, with its “Happy Birthday” theme, rang in a decade of hard work with a few landmarks in the Fieldhouse: its first Relay team made of administrators, the first grandma ever FaceTimed on stage during the event and, at the closing ceremony, the biggest fundraising total yet at $27,417.38.
“I feel tired, but it’s a rejuvenating kind of tired,” said Colleges Against Cancer Co-President, and senior public relations major, Stephanie Willis at 1 a.m. on Sunday. She’d been there since 10 a.m. the day before.
Going into Relay, all participants have the mindset to try to make it as long as possible. At a full 12 hours, the different stages of the event represent different stages in battling cancer. Everyone is urged to stay from 4 p.m. until 4 a.m. the next morning, signifying finishing the fight against the disease.
“For me, this is one of the most impactful events I’ve experienced while at school,” said Colleges Against Cancer Co-President, and senior psychology major, Christina Geska. “You get to see how much people really care. I think all of us, in some way, have been affected by cancer, so seeing this much support every year is moving.”
“All of us” this year, more so than in years past, included the faculty.
University President Virginia Horvath spoke at the event about her experience as a caregiver for someone with cancer. Provost Terry Brown shared her story of triumph, winning her battle with cancer in the early 2000s. And communication professor Ann Carden, who is currently battling terminal cancer, took the stage to deliver a message of perseverance.
With faculty members both speaking and participating (and raising a whopping $2,000), Fredonia was doing something no other school has.
“We are the first [university] I know of in our region to have an administrative team,” said Willis, who is also the Relay for Life event chair. “I went to the Eastern Division Leadership Conference in November and the Regional Leadership Conference in January [for Relay for Life], and no other school in our area has their administration as integrated into the event [as we do].”
But perhaps the most emotional part of the event, as it’s commonly known for being, was the Luminaria ceremony. Taking place at 9:30 p.m., Luminaria is the most somber ceremony, as it’s a time for remembrance of those who lost their battles with cancer, and hope for those who are still fighting. In the darkened gymnasium, only purple glow sticks lit the way as participants listened to speakers and took a lap, in silence, around the track.
Sophomore childhood education major Ayden Wickman provided the soundtrack, singing and playing with an acoustic guitar. With emotional songs like Jeff Buckley’s “Hallelujah,” every step on the track held meaning.
“When I was asked [to sing], I didn’t know how important the Luminaria ceremony was going to be until I inquired further about it. And as soon as I found out what it meant to a lot of people, I was so taken aback,” said Wickman. “‘I can’t screw this up, I have to really deliver to these people,’ [I told myself]. I’m so honored that they would pick me to do it.”
But, just moments before he took the stage, Wickman formulated a plan that would leave every single participant in good spirits after Luminaria.
“I texted my sister and my brother and I said … ‘Alright listen, I need you to do me a huge favor’ …”
What was the favor? Keep Grandma awake and her phone charged.
After the silent lap, Wickman asked the crowd if it would help him congratulate his grandma on finishing her chemotherapy treatments, and help him sing her favorite song, “Build Me Up Buttercup” by The Foundations. Of course, the tearful crowd obliged.
“My biggest fear was that I’d have my phone up on the stage and she wouldn’t pick up. My heart was racing. I don’t think I’ve ever been more nervous in my entire life,” said Wickman. “But when she picked up, and I knew it was going to go through, my heart just exploded … My grandma is the light of my life.”
Donations for this Relay event will be collected for a few more months, so there’s still more time to raise money for the American Cancer Society and, of course, for more birthdays. Tanner Jubert, a senior theatre arts major and cancer survivor, knows firsthand how important it is to give kids more birthdays.
“I work at a summer camp for kids with cancer [and] it’s rough to see those kids not necessarily come back each year,” said Jubert. “But I know that because of Relay for Life and events like it, many of those kids, kids like me, have a fighting chance.”