Collegiate Times

This past weekend, the spirit of community was alive and well on the Virginia Tech campus as was showcased by events from Relay for Life to the International Street Festival. On a Friday that started with students gathering to counter-protest the Westboro Baptist Church, to the solemn pylon ceremony honoring a fallen Hokie, the day ended with a weekend filled with celebrations of community.

Amid the cold weather on Friday night, thousands came together for the annual Relay for Life to raise money for research to fight cancer. It was truly remarkable and emotional to see the Drillfield filled with so much love and energy — from those who were helping to run the event, to the survivors that participated and their families, to everyone who participated. The haunting words of Ed Spencer, vice president for student affairs, in the chant of “we’re beating cancer,” were a powerful reminder of hope.

As I walked through the different zones and around the track, the perceived barriers of difference were put aside. The essence of diversity was alive and well in the community coming together for this cause. It was great to see the students encouraging others to buy items such as cotton candy, baked goods, T-shirts and musical selections in an attempt to help raise funds for this effort. There were no turf wars or divisions by class, just people coming together within their groups to make a difference.

While the cold weather had an impact, it did not dampen the community’s morale, and the discomfort of the cold served as a symbolic reminder of the discomfort felt by those impacted by cancer. While the participants could go home to the warmth of their rooms, those with cancer continue with their struggles, often only aided by the warmth offered by their loved ones.

Cancer impacts individuals from all backgrounds, regardless of their walk of life. While certain factors may increase the likelihood of cancer, the disease does not discriminate. It is fitting that a community can come together to help fight for this, whether it is Relay for Life or the Walk for the Cure.

However, it is ironic that while we can come together around such an important health issue, we cannot agree on the issue regarding health care. While this is a topic for another day, perhaps the reason is that we can see the personal and immediate impact of cancer, but can’t understand or see the impact of health care.

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A version of this article appeared in the Apr 13 issue of the Collegiate Times.