The 17th Annual South Tangipahoa Relay for Life attracted a large crowd of local people and raised thousands of dollars for the American Cancer Society. Everyone who attended the event came for a special reason, whether it was to honor a loved one, participate in the relay for charity or walk the Survivor’s Lap.
The Relay for Life event took place at North Oak Park on Saturday, November 17, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Among the people at the relay were many Southeastern students, alumni, cancer survivors and their families.
Dana Spitzer, a Southeastern alumnus who participated in the Relay for Life Survivor’s Lap, stopped to share her incredible story. Spitzer was diagnosed with brain cancer six years ago.
“I had to fight for two and a half years to have the surgery to get it out of my brain because they kept saying it was benign,” said Spitzer. “I told them, ‘no, it’s not.’ Well, I finally found a surgeon who would cut on me, and he told me, ‘You have what we thought you had and it’s two times the size we thought it was, and if you wouldn’t have fought, you’d have had six to nine months to live, so you saved your own life.’ The fact that it was cancer didn’t really matter to me; just fight it like you fight anything else.”
After she woke up from surgery to have the cancer removed, she had lost function in the right side of her body and had to re-learn how to walk, feed and dress herself.
While holding her 6 month-old daughter Miranda on her hip, Spitzer said doctors told her she would be unable to have children.
“I had brain cancer, and I wasn’t supposed to have babies, so I consider my children survivors as well,” said Spitzer. “I come out to the relay number one to celebrate the fact that I beat it, it didn’t beat me, and number two to memorialize those who fought so bravely and didn’t succeed,” said Spitzer. “We’ve got to remember them. They fought valiantly.”
Alumnus Kathy Stevens participated in the Survivor’s Lap at this year’s relay.
“I had lymphoma last year and it was just a goal of mine to walk the walk,” said Stevens. “With chemotherapy you have a lot of fatigue, or at least I had a lot of fatigue. One of my goals was to be able to make the lap today, so I got one off my bucket list.”
Stevens is now cancer free, although she continues to go through maintenance every six months.
“I had a lot of people praying for me, and God answered prayers,” said Stevens. “I’m blessed.”
In addition to survivors, students from both Southeastern and many local schools participated in the relay all day.
Hammond High Magnet School had a group of students running the relay from the start.
“The volleyball team has been doing this for about four or five years now,” said the Hammond High volleyball team coach Amber Babin. “We’re just a very strong school, and we try and support each other. Our Key Club is out here. We try to get the sports to come out and help us run some laps. We love doing community service projects. I like teaching the girls to just be humble and grateful for what they have.”
Many organizations from both on and off campus had booths set up at the event with people selling food and crafts and offering activities for Relay for Life participants. Alpha Sigma Tau had a booth set up at the relay selling red beans and rice, lap bracelets and Christmas ornaments.
“One of our alums had cancer and she recently passed away, so we do this to support her,” said Amanda Anderson, a senior majoring in kinesiology and member of Alpha Sigma Tau Sorority.
The sorority was teamed up with Delta Tau Delta Fraternity for the day. The group kept members running laps the entire day, which helped them to win first place in laps this year.
“We’re out here to support the American Cancer Society,” said Blake Thomas, a senior majoring in marketing and member of Delta Tau Delta who ran in the relay.
Jordan Leggett, a senior majoring in vocal performance and member of Delta Tau Delta, added he was running for his grandmother, who is currently fighting breast cancer.
Alpha Sigma Tau and Delta Tau Delta raised over $1100 for Relay for Life.
For more information on Relay for Life, visit the American Cancer Society website at cancer.org.