In the cold fight against cancer, SAS found a way to give some warmth. From Friday, April 24, to Saturday, April 25, the National Honor Society (NHS) hosted its annual Relay for Life (R4L) event in SAS Puxi. A tribute to all cancer patients, Relay for Life is a time of reflection, hope, and encouragement. Multiple teams of students from the high school participated in the event to raise awareness and donate as much money as possible. They showed their will through a 24-hour relay, walking as many as 1168 laps around a track lit up with candles of hope. Prior to the event, teams also held bake sales to raise money for cancer research.
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| Photos taken by freshman Wesley Chiu. |
Over the course of the day and night, electrifying performances, pensive speeches of experiences against cancer, and superb sporting events were all in action. The performances featured the likes of Chan Woo Kim, a freshman, Jun Tak, a sophomore, Theo Kim, a junior, and accapella group Noteworthy truly lit up the crowd. The love of music resonated throughout our community in support for fighting cancer. After an hour of wonderful performances, moments of silence ensued. During what is known as Luminaria, Monica Mannion, junior Sophie Mannion's mom, spoke about her personal experience in battling and surviving cancer. The microphone was then turned to others who recollected sorrowful experiences of their family members’ struggle against cancer. Following the speeches, everyone walked around the track in silence to show respect for the victims of cancer. Tears dripped along with the heavy rain, mirroring the morbid mood of the night.
An event full of sympathy and reflection, the words of the survivors and family members of victims touched the heart of students at SAS. Although we may just be small fractions of all the fights against cancer, we demonstrated our lively spirit and energetic encouragement to those in the ring. We will always stand in the corners of the ring praying for victory.
“We walk not only to reminisce [about] those who passed away,” said Wesley Chiu, a freshman. “We walk to to support those who are still fighting.”
Stanley Park
