Jairo Madrigal was tired, but he did not let his first day of chemotherapy keep him from participating in this year’s Relay for Life.
Madrigal, a second-year sociology student, began treatment for leukemia on Saturday, the same day as the 11th annual 24-hour fundraising event put on by Colleges Against Cancer.
This year, Relay for Life participants raised about $132,000 for the American Cancer Society. The money will go to fund research and other programs such as Road to Recovery and Look Good…Feel Better, a service that teaches women beauty techniques to feel more confident about their appearance during chemotherapy.
Thousands of students and members of the Los Angeles community camped overnight at Drake Stadium and walked or ran around the track throughout the day and night. About 1,300 volunteers and 123 teams signed up to participate this year.
Nahal Sabrkhani, the advocacy chair of Colleges Against Cancer, said she thinks the event allows people to bond and build relationships in the face of adversity.
“Everyone has a story. I’ve had family members and families of close friends affected,” Sabrkhani said. “It makes me realize that (cancer) can happen to anyone. It doesn’t stop in its tracks.”
On Saturday night, the lights turned off in Drake Stadium and participants held glowsticks to represent the people who bring light into their lives during the Luminaria Ceremony. Each person cracked a glowstick as the event’s host called out whether a parent, sibling, child or friend was affected by cancer.
Laura Kaufman, a third-year economics student, and Laryssa Storozuk, a third-year cognitive science student, talked about each of their mothers’ deaths from cancer. They said their moms are the reasons why they are both campaigning to find a cure.
Many of the participants at the rally supported a loved one.
Madrigal’s Delta Tau Delta fraternity brothers had planned on participating in Relay for Life long before his diagnosis. However, news of Madrigal’s leukemia quickly sparked a name change to “Team Jairo,” along with increased participation and donations.
In a little more than a week, about 20 Delta Tau Delta brothers raised more than $8,000 for Relay for Life, Keim said.
“I don’t feel like I’ve done enough for the house for them to show me this much love,” Madrigal said. “The support from my fraternity makes me worry less and let me know that everything will be alright.”
To read more stories about UCLA’s Relay for Life, visit the Daily Bruin website.
Compiled by Amanda Schallert, Joseph Vescera and Alejandra Reyes, Bruin senior staff. Reporting by Joseph Vescera and Alejandra Reyes, Bruin contributors.