The Wake

Fire burns. Chocolate tastes delicious. Cancer kills.

We figure these things out pretty early in life. They’re so obvious that we don’t even think about them. And in the divisive days before a major election, goals that everyone can agree on, like fighting cancer, are easily sidelined.

But for the members of Colleges Against Cancer (CAC), a student group affiliated with the American Cancer Society, the struggle against cancer will still be important long after we know whether the senator from Illinois or from Arizona will be our next president.

“Everyone has some connection to cancer,” says CAC representative Kirsten Lesak-Greenberg. Whether it’s being diagnosed with some form of cancer themselves or seeing a friend or family member go through treatment, Lesak-Greenberg says, everyone she talks to has a personal story. “It can affect you even if you’re young,” she says.

Nick Pilger, CAC’s vice president, knows that all too well. “I felt so helpless when my mom was diagnosed with skin cancer,” he says. “I’m just very thankful that CAC has given me a way to fight back.”

Pilger serves as the chair of the committee for Relay for Life, the group’s largest and best known initiative. Participants sign up in teams and receive pledges to walk in the event, which takes place each spring. Last year’s relay raised more than $162,000 for cancer research. The 2009 event is scheduled for April 17 and 18— an overnight endeavor—and CAC hopes to raise $176,000.

Relay for Life is one of CAC’s four pillars; the others are education, advocacy and survivorship. Its members work to educate the community about cancer-causing behaviors, advocate for public policy changes and build relationships with cancer survivors in the community. The University of Minnesota’s
chapter, now in its sixth year, has about 65 committee members.

One of CAC’s recent projects was a two-day event on October 15 and 17 in honor of October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month. “Saving Second Base,” designed to promote awareness of breast cancer and to educate students about preventing it, involved carnival games such as “Pin the Hand on the
Boob,” T-shirts reading “Check yourself or I will,” and “Bowling for Boobs” at Coffman Union. All the boob talk may feel like overkill, but the message was both heartfelt and important. According to the American Cancer Society, the chance of a woman having invasive breast cancer at some point in her life is 1 in 8.

“It’s a more light-hearted way to approach the very serious topic of cancer,” Lesak-Greenberg says. “I think that speaks to students a little bit better than just shooting statistics at them.”

A similar but more extensive series will take place in November. Each day of “Health Education Week” will focus on a different cancer-related issue, including tanning, human papillomavirus (HPV) and alcohol.

The group also supports the “Smoke-Free Initiative,” currently under consideration by the university administration. If there’s any way an anti-cancer group can generate controversy, it’s here—many university students have spoken out against the ban as an infringement on their rights. One poster on an online message board wrote that banning smoking to prevent deaths would be like forcing students to exercise to prevent heart disease. Another poster claimed that the American Cancer Society is funded by pharmaceutical companies that profit from selling aids to quit smoking. “We are here to defeat this. This is our enemy and we’re going after it.”

CAC is working with Boynton Health Services on the anti-smoking petition. More than 160 college campuses nationwide have adopted such policies, Pilger says.

Last winter, the Richard M. Schulze Family American Cancer Society Hope Lodge opened at 2500 University Avenue SE, just off campus. Cancer patients and their families can stay at the Hope Lodge free of charge while undergoing treatment in the area. At the lodge, CAC volunteers can interact with cancer survivors and families. “The real reason we are here is to support these individuals and hopefully find a cure for the horrible disease that has taken so much of their lives,” says Pilger, who calls the lodge his favorite CAC endeavor.

The University of Minnesota chapter of CAC hopes to soon attain the designation of “Chapter of Hope,” a distinction given to chapters who “exemplify the highest standards in every aspect of their being,” according to Pilger. The chapter also wants to continue to grow in size and impact.

“What I really like about CAC is that they have such a positive attitude,” Lesak-Greenberg says. “We are here to defeat this. This is our enemy and we’re going after it.”