story & photo
by Vito J. Leo

Now, and for the past seven years, Rosemarie Frissel celebrates each day of freedom of being cancer free. On the evening of April 17th, she was able to join in this celebration of life with a dozen other similar survivors at the 16-hour Relay for Life held on the ConnCollege campus.

“It was so moving to be able to walk in that first lap,” Rosemarie said, referring to the traditional opening of each and every Relay for Life. Survivors walk around the track, a track on which at least one person will be walking at all times throughout the entire event.

During a conversation held in front of a pup tent, one of many set up on the college’s Tempel Green, Rosemarie – who was first diagnosed in 2001 – said she was participating in a relay for the first time.

The Manchester resident would be spending the night in the tent along with several other women who came together in support of a cause embraced throughout the country.

The concept is simple enough: Teams form, the members go out and get pledges from friends, family and co-workers, they then set up a sort of “tent city” at a central location in town and take turns walking around a track or path. Each team is asked to have a representative on the track at all times during the overnight event.

The Franklin chapter of the American Cancer Society  approached college officials about sponsoring a relay, an idea which eventually led to two young women volunteering to take on the monumental task of organizing the event on campus. Graduate student Jessica LeClair, Windsor Locks, and Kelly Hamilton, senior, New Hampshire pulled it off with great results.

Some 415 participants assembled on 34 teams and raised more than $53,000 during the days leading up to the 6 p.m. opening ceremony.

The individual who raised the most money for the event was Meredith Wasserman, freshman,  Providence, who singlehandedly raised $1,600.

“I am walking in honor of my cousin Marc Dwares who lost his battle to cancer at a very young age,” Meredith said.

The Camel Crusaders, which consisted mostly of college staff members from the Information Services department, raised the most financial pledges of any team, $7,428 – more than double the second-place team. The individual on the Camel Crusaders who raised the most money was Amy Hannum, New London, with $1,074.

“Fighting cancer is a team effort. The impact we can make together is much greater than what any of us could do alone,” said team captain Ruth Seeley, Montville. “Events such as the Relay for Life empower all of us to fight back against a disease that takes too much.”

One of the most inspiring moments of the nightlong vigil came at 10 p.m. Friday when a loud and boisterous campus green suddenly fell into an eerily utter silence as the luminaria ceremony began. For 25 minutes, the names of all the loved ones being remembered during this relay were read aloud while all the participants solemnly circled the track.

“This whole evening has been great, but the luminaria ceremony, that was really powerful,” said Lauren Moran, senior,  English/Anthropology major, Mansfield.

“I think an event like the Relay for Life is important because almost everybody knows someone who is affected by this disease,” said co-organizer Jessica. “This is a way people can come together not only to remember lost loved ones but to turn these negatives into positives,” she said.

Jessica reminds everyone that donations to the Relay will be accepted until May 2nd by visiting www.relayforlife.org/conncoll.

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