NM Daily Lobo 10 26 15

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DAILY LOBO new mexico

The Independent Student Voice of UNM since 1895

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October 26, 2015 | Volume 120 | Issue 22

Cancer rally raises money for cure

Austin Dickey / Daily Lobo / @DailyLobo

Light the Night participants cross the finish line at WisePies arena on Sunday, Oct. 25. Light the Night is an annual benefit and walk to support research for leukemia and lymphomas.

Light the Night event invites supporters, sufferers of all ages to promote research By Elizabeth Sanchez On Sunday night, 7-year-old UNMH leukemia relapse patient Nieves Garcia participated in his first Light the Night Walk with his family. Beginning at 4:30 p.m., hundreds gathered around WisePies Arena, aka the Pit, for the fundraiser supporting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS).The annual event included a ‘kid zone’ with a rock wall, grass games, a stage with karaoke, face painting and henna tattoos. It all built up to a remembrance ceremony for those who have lost friends and family to cancer, as well as a one-mile walk in support of the LLS. During the walk, event attendees carried lanterns representing various forms of support of the LLS: red for supporters, white for survivors and gold for those walking in memory of loved ones lost to a blood cancer. Garcia said that if he completely recovers, he will be happy and excited to do all kinds of things that healthy children do. “(The event is) raising money to help us kids get better. Cancer is a good and bad thing,” he said. “It’s a good thing because you get to meet good people. It’s a bad thing because you miss school.” Right now, Garcia should be in third grade. He said he feels extremely grateful to have his family’s support.

Garcia’s brother, Ryan Bichardo, is 14 years old and attended the walk “to support kids (like Nieves) and all the struggles they’re going through.” Bichardo said that although it was difficult to watch his brother through various stages of treatment, he is happy for him “because he didn’t (give up).” Garcia’s grandmother, Pauline Molina, said that she has grown to understand the processes and battles cancer patients go through. She said sees a lot of faith, love and support among the community, especially through events like these. To Molina, seeing her grandchild “cancer-free would be a miracle — not just for him, but for everybody.” According to Kelli Evers, the campaign manager for Light the Night in the New Mexico and El Paso Chapter of LLS, the society’s mission is to support research to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. Evers explained that the LLS funds lifesaving blood cancer research around the world and provides free information and support services. Although registration for the Light the Night Walk was free, participants were encouraged to raise or donate funds for the advancement of therapy and lifesaving treatments for those affected by blood cancer. Donors would be classified as Champions for Cures if they raised $100 or more, and would receive a t-shirt, an illuminated

lantern and a Texas Roadhouse dinner. They would be Bright Light Club members if they raised $1,000 or more. LLS Volunteer Coordinator Alexis Gough, a sophomore Spanish and biochemistry major who has been working with the LLS for about five years, said that the night was one to remember, especially for its turnout. It’s a great night to see the kind of work our community’s been doing for a national issue,” Gough said. “(It’s wonderful to see everyone) come together and care about such a good cause.” She said the grand total of donations raised was $252,000 at the end of the night. Gough said she didn’t begin working with LLS because she personally knew anyone affected by cancer; rather, she was inspired by the strength of cancer survivors to pursue her volunteer work. She said Sunday’s event was a way to shed light on the courage of everyone involved in the battle against the disease. “The event is a celebration of life and of the hard work so many teams and individuals have put in to raise funds for LLS to support research that provides better outcomes for patients and, ultimately, leads to cures for blood cancers — not someday, but today,” she said. Elizabeth Sanchez is a staff reporter for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @Beth_A_Sanchez.


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