Relay for Life held at Pierce Friends, family and survivors walk to raise funds for cancer research

Carrlyn Bathe Roundup Reporter

For one day and one night, teams of people camped out at the Pierce College athletic fields during a 24-hour Relay for Life fundraising walk that began on Saturday, April 5 at 9 a.m.

Relay for Life is the American Cancer Society’s signature event that brings together cancer survivors, honors those who lost their battle, and grants opportunities to raise money toward a cure, according to www.relayforlife.org.

Tents, tables, and a stage for musicians to play all boarded a candle-lit walking path that took over the campus grass where soccer games usually occur. People took turns walking throughout the night to raise awareness for cancer.

As the clock neared midnight, Mackenzie King huddled inside a tent to keep warm in between walking shifts. King, a member of Team Brahma, found out about the walk through the Gay-Straight Alliance Club.

“I’m sure everyone knows someone who’s been affected by cancer, myself included, and that’s why I wanted to partake in the event,” King said.

In her second year with Team Brahma, Karina Perez spent her day helping sell flashlights, sunglasses, and bracelets to raise money for the for Life event, which celebrates cancer survivors and raises money for research on Saturday, April 5 at Pierce College. team. Another team’s table even offered phone charging for a price.

“I’m their biggest customer,” Perez laughed, charging her phone.

Bundled up in a jacket and accompanied by a friend, Steve Lichtenstein, director of sponsored research at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, didn’t let the cold stop him from walking the track into the late hours of the night.

“This is the fourth year I’ve done this and it’s amazing,” Lichtenstein said. “The money that goes into this comes right back to the hospital for research. I can see where all this [money] goes and I can see the other side of it.”

Leading Lichtenstein’s team was two-time cancer survivor and co-chair of the survivor activities, Yevette Peterson.

Many reasons bring Peterson back to the walk each year. On top of her own battle, she lost her father in-law and a friend to cancer and her mother is a two-time survivor as well.

“The first time I had cancer, after I finished my treatment, I went through a really tough time feeling scared and uncertain about whether or not the cancer would come back,” Peterson said. “I just decided I