According to the National Cancer Institute, “Approximately 39% of men and women will be diagnosed with cancer at some point during their lifetimes.” If so many people are diagnosed with cancer, then why have we not found a solution to it yet? Cancer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the body. Although new chemotherapies and radiation therapies are currently in the process of development, such treatments do not guarantee complete success for cancer patients.

When you've known someone with cancer, you are able to understand the incomprehension that is the disease. Losing a person is unreal. The pain felt even after years have passed is something no one will ever be able to describe thoroughly. For me, losing a person meant living in confusion and denial. The pain was strange: I never admitted to losing someone or to knowing a person with cancer, even though I did. In my mind, that person I knew was singing, dancing, acting and patiently awaiting the moment to die his hair pink, perhaps purple.

Think of all the people you know and love. What if they were diagnosed? How could we help? I have chosen to fundraise for the “Relay for Life” and that’s why I need you. Relay for Life is “a community based fundraising event organized by the American Cancer Society. Each year, more than 5,000 events take place in over twenty countries. Its mission is to raise funds to improve cancer survival and improve the quality of life for cancer patients and their caretakers.”

The technological revolution of the 21st century has allowed us to make a lot of progress in overcoming cancer, but there is still a lot of work that needs to be done. Here's one reason why you should support Relay For Life: “I joined a Relay For Life event to support the American Cancer Society’s mission to free the world from the pain and suffering caused by cancer." The entire community here at Boston University is getting "involved in supporting cancer patient programs and groundbreaking research that can help save lives.”

I know how annoying online fundraisers can be, but I ask that you dig not only into your wallet, but into your heart and make the decision to help those who need it the most. Even a dollar can make a difference. PLEASE consider donating to this fundraiser or even better, consider joining the walk with me along with my fellow Alianza Latina brothers on April 22nd. You don’t have to wait for cancer to change the life of someone you know and love in order to realize it’s your duty to help cancer research. Because it is.

CLICK HERE TO DONATE.

Check out this video, made by Sara Reina, of a “Leukemia Awareness Run” in 2015.

“Pain is good. Feel the pain, love it, embrace it. Pain lets you know you're still alive.” — J.R