MIT Hosts Relay for Life

By Hillary Jenny ’13, MIT Relay for Life Coordinator and Women's Tennis Team Member

Almost everyone knows someone who has been affected by cancer. On March, MIT hosted its first ever Relay For Life, an overnight fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. MIT’s chapter of Colleges Against Cancer (CAC), a student organization associated with the American Cancer Society, sponsored the event. For the past five years, MIT has participated in the All-University Boston Relay For Life with other local universities.

Our target amount was $25,000, but we ended up raising over $42,000!!! 412 people attended (including undergrads, graduate students, and faculty), but many, many more participated through donations and fundraising--MIT alumni were particularly helpful in supporting their friends' teams. We had 38 teams, and the top two fundraising teams raised over $7,000 each. We had great grad-student participation, as the third largest team was comprised of 45 members from the Sidney Pacific graduate student dorm.

A speaker from the Koch Institute discussed MIT's role in academic research to fight cancer. In addition, we had a high level of cancer survivor participation, including two MIT undergrads who spoke about their experiences and another survivor speaker from another local college.

As a member of the MIT women’s varsity tennis team, I Relay for Caroline Hamilton, a young girl with a brain tumor. The MIT women's tennis team mentors and sponsors Caroline through the Friends of Jaclyn Program. Having exhausted the current chemotherapy treatments available, Caroline is now one month into an experimental trial for an oral chemotherapy. While we wait for this treatment to take its course, Caroline remains a vital part of the tennis team. Her fierce determination to beat both her cancer and our opposing teams has inspired us to help cancer research by participating and fundraising for Relay For Life. Caroline has gone through so much as a young girl, but through it all, she remains a happy, upbeat, and welcome addition to the team. I'm grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the battle against cancer and the fight for a true childhood for kids like Caroline.