Eastlake students gather to fight cancer

Published 2:55 pm Monday, May 21, 2012

Kira Hanson wasn’t sure what was going on with her body, but she knew it wasn’t good.

In December of 2010, her skin began to itch incessantly. Then came the random pain and discomfort in her chest.

Trip after trip to different doctors resulted in no answers, and a ton of frustration.

“I just kept getting worse and the doctors just kept saying, ‘Oh, you have anxiety, you have allergies, you have this and that,'” the Eastlake High School junior said.

Finally, in August 2011 — nearly eight months after her first symptoms — Hanson received a definite answer from a specialist. To her relief and dismay, she was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma — a form of cancer that starts in the white blood cells and attacks the body’s lymph nodes.

“It was like the most bittersweet thing because it was like I’m going to feel better, I’m going to live again,” Hanson said. “On the other hand, I was like cancer, what the …? They tell you to exercise, eat healthy and stuff and I took care of myself.”

After four rounds of chemotherapy in the fall, followed by three more weeks of radiation, Hanson is now fully in remission.

She bravely stepped to the microphone Saturday and told her story to a crowd of close to 1,000 during the opening ceremony of Eastlake’s seventh annual Relay For Life. Her goal was to not only generate awareness about the disease, but help people understand the importance of early diagnosis.

“I’ve met so many people who have had to suffer with their cancer for years or months and it’s just not fair to have that amount of time taken away from you,” she said.

Hanson, who helped carry the banner around during the survivor lap, wasn’t alone in fighting one of the most common diseases in the world.

The event drew a record 66 teams and 650 participants — all of students from Eastlake, Inglewood Junior High or Eastside Catholic who took turns walking to raise money for cancer research.

“There have definitely been a lot of personal stories in the community that have driven it, but every year word gets out and it just keeps getting bigger and bigger,” said Jack Callahan, a junior and co-chair of the event.

The Eastlake event was labeled the fifth largest student relay — high school or college — in the nation last and year and will likely rank in the top percentile again. This year’s event, which was ran completely by a committee of Eastlake students, tallied $124,984 early in the week and is expected to pull in close to another $1,000 by the end of this week.

When they weren’t walking, students kept busy in the 24-hour period playing in volleyball and ultimate frisbee tournaments, watching movies and participating in a luminaria — a ceremony where bags were lit with glow sticks and placed along the track to remember everyone touched by cancer.

Junior co-chair Kaylee Hansen pointed out she has had three family members impacted by the disease, noting it’s something nearly every student can relate to.

“That’s why it’s so popular, because you can’t really say ‘no’ to starting a team,” she said. “Also, who wouldn’t want to have an all-nighter with your friends?”

Kaylee Hansen speaks to a large crowd of students Saturday during the Eastlake Relay For Life opening ceremony.

Relay For Life co-chairs Jack Callahan and Kaylee Hansen speak to students Saturday.