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the Night Walk for Leukemia/Lymphoma Society Celebrates 5th Year
At Assumption College
 September,
2004—At dusk on September 26, 2004, a sea of illuminated
red and white balloons will light up the Worcester sky as hundreds
of walkers, step by step, raise money to cure blood-related cancers.
This date will mark the fifth year that Assumption College has hosted
the annual Light the Night Walk for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
on its campus. Funds raised will support the society’s mission
to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and to
improve the quality of life of patients and their families. Walkers
each carry illuminated balloons, white balloons signifying survivors
and red representing supporters, as they follow the designated route
around the Salisbury Street area of Worcester.
The Light the Night walk holds particular significance for three
members of the Assumption College community. Student Felisha
Marques ’07, adjunct business law professor Tom
Fitzpatrick, Esq., and admissions counselor Justin
Smith ’03 are dedicating their time and passions
to this event.
Marques, a sophomore pre-med biology major, is spearheading this
event as the Assumption site’s student event chair and Team
Captain. She is in charge of recruiting corporate sponsors, publicizing
the walk on campus, initiating fundraising efforts, and planning
the logistics of the event. It is a daunting project for any student
to undertake, but Marques, who aims to become a pediatrician, has
handled her tasks well.
“Being able to organize something like this will make medical
school that much easier to handle,” she said with a smile.
Fitzpatrick, who is the Director of Credit at Saint-Gobain in Worcester,
has been involved with the organization at the local and national
levels for more than 20 years. He thought that Assumption College
would be an ideal location for a Worcester-area walk site. The idea
of a nighttime walk complete with illuminated candles has become
a tremendous success, both locally and nationally.
Fitzpatrick’s longtime involvement with the Leukemia and Lymphoma
Society has been extremely rewarding, he said. He has witnessed
groundbreaking research and unbelievable progress in the past 10-15
years, which motivates him to continue participating in events like
Light the Night. He excitedly described some of the latest breakthroughs
in research, including the discovery of “smart pills”,
which have the potential to attack cancerous cells without harming
healthy cells.
“What motivates me is knowing that there are, absolutely,
cures right around the corner for blood-related cancers,”
Fitzpatrick said. “We just need more money to reach these
cures.”
Smith has quite a vested interest in the Light the Night walk—he
is a survivor of Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Diagnosed in 2000, he
has since made a full recovery and has dedicated several years to
the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society as past co-chair of the Worcester
site’s walk committee, a media relations intern for the Society,
Assumption's student on-site coordinator and Team Captain, and fundraising
volunteer.
“I’ve seen this event grow from its beginnings in 2000
to a much larger event, one that has now become part of campus culture,”
Smith said. “As an alumnus, an administrator, and a survivor,
it truly means a lot to me to have Assumption College involved with
the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society.”
Assumption College’s community is heavily supporting the event.
Resident directors are awarding a pizza party to the dormitory who
tallies the most residents as attendees. The entire Assumption football
team has committed to walking, promising a strong athletic presence.
The Light the Night walk has grown larger and more successful with
each passing year, and the future of the event looks even brighter.
Marques, Fitzpatrick, and Smith all hope that the walk will bring
a greater awareness of blood-related cancers.
“I hope that people eventually realize how these cancers are
part of our daily lives,” Marques said. “We are all
somehow affected by these diseases, whether we realize it or not.”
For now, Fitzpatrick plans to lend his time to the cause as long
as he possibly can. “Even if we find a cure for these diseases,
we aren’t done,” he said. “We need to determine
how people get these illnesses. We will have to work backward and
learn how to prevent these cancers.”
The Light the Night walk, on Sunday, September 26, 2004,
will begin at 4:30 p.m. with registration in the Laska Gymnasium
on Assumption College's campus. Kickoff of the walk will begin at
6:00 p.m.
For more information about the Light the Night walk, please
contact the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society at 800-688-6572. To register
for the event, please visit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's
Web site at http://register.lightthenight.org/LTNRegister/register.jsp.
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