This year the American Cancer Society hosted the 15th annual Relay for Life event. As an annual fundraising event, Relay for Life is very important and the money raised helps the American Cancer Society to complete research to fight all types of cancer. This year, the Ross Medical Education Center campus in Bowling Green, Kentucky decided to participate. They were honored to be a part of this incredible event and look forward to being involved each year in the future.
Through their participation in this event, staff, faculty, and students at Ross found out that approximately one third of women and half of the men in the United States will be diagnosed with some sort of cancer in their lifetime. Many at Ross know someone that has been diagnosed with cancer, so this is an event that hit close to home. That’s the reason that the American Cancer Society does the Relay for Life. They want to ensure that research is done, patient care programs are established, and that they can help Americans to discover and prevent cancer early. Brent Mahaney, Admissions Representative at Ross said, “we all know someone whose life has been impacted by cancer, the american cancer society walk is a reminder to us all of the importance of supporting those individuals who have fought or are fighting the fight against cancer.”
According to the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life History page, the Relay for Life event was started in 1985 because Dr. Gordy Klatt, a colorectal surgeon, decided that he wanted to raise cancer awareness and combat the terrible illness. Over a very intense 24 hours of circling a track in Tacoma, Washington, he raised more than $27,000. With that he proved that even one person with a mission could make a big difference. From that point, Relay for Life became the largest fundraising event for cancer awareness and prevention in the world. In fact, it has now spread to over 20 countries and four million people across the world.
The Ross community was deeply impacted and inspired by this year’s Relay for Life event. In fact, Kathy Conrad, Assistant Campus Director of Admissions at Ross in Bowling Green joined the committee after this year’s event to help plan future events for the American Cancer Society in Bowling Green. Also, she is already planning many different events at the campus for the coming year to raise money for upcoming events in the area.