LAWRENCE: 900 Rider students sign up to fight cancer

By Lea Kahn
   R.J. Barkelew was just 5 years old when, in his own words, “my life changed significantly.”
   The change was a diagnosis of leukemia, the Rider University junior said Saturday afternoon. He was the keynote speaker at the college’s annual Relay for Life fundraising event for the American Cancer Society.
   ”When it all happened, I didn’t know what to expect. I felt something was definitely wrong with me,” said the 21-year-old Mr. Barkelew, who underwent several rounds of chemotherapy and painful spinal taps to beat the leukemia.
   And just when the North Brunswick Township resident and his parents thought he was cured, he had a relapse. The leukemia was back and even worse than before, he said. More chemotherapy and spinal taps were the order of the day.
   The pain was excruciating, said Mr. Barkelew. He recalled he woke up one day and asked his parents how this could have happened to him. His only hope for survival was a bone marrow transplant. A suitable donor — a man from Germany — was found, and the bone marrow transplant was a success.
   ”I value life more highly than anything else,” he said. “This kind of experience rattles your thoughts. Cancer changed my life. I find myself wondering if I would be the same person (without having had cancer). I wake up in the morning, just for the chance to do so. My goal in life is to enjoy it and live every day like it’s the last one.”
   ”Life is a precious thing. The drive to survive and the struggle have forever changed my life and my outlook on life. Bring it on, life, let’s see what you’ve got,” Mr. Barkelew said, as his schoolmates — who had gathered in the gym at Rider’s Student Recreation Center — cheered him on amid a flurry of balloons released from a net above them.
   Then Mr. Barkelew — joined by about a dozen cancer survivors, their family members and caregivers — walked a victory lap on the track above the gym. It was the first of many laps at the overnight fundraising event.
   Teams of students signed up to walk all night long to raise money for the Relay for Life, which is the American Cancer Society’s signature fundraising event. The teams camp out and take turns walking or running around the track. Each team has a representative on the track at all times.
   Saturday’s event marked the third annual Relay for Life at Rider University. For the first two years, the event was coordinated by student Heather Fischler. She graduated in June, and the coordinator duties have been taken up by Rider junior Lindsay Galbraith.
   Ms. Fischler, who was on hand for Saturday’s event, said she was inspired to organize the Relay for Life fundraiser because her roommate’s father was a cancer survivor. She said she wanted to do something to help bring the Rider community together and to help the community at large.
   After Ms. Fischler graduated in June, Ms. Galbraith stepped up to coordinate the event. Millions of people struggle with cancer, and thousands of people die of the disease every year, Ms. Galbraith said. But the 900 or so students who signed up for this year’s Relay for Life can help to make a difference in millions of lives, she said.
   Meanwhile, a steady stream of students — some carrying pillows and bedding — began to throng the Student Recreation Center to register for the Relay for Life event, starting around 4 p.m. Many of the students already had formed teams, and they were registering their presence.
   Once they had signed in, the students made their way into the gym. The teams set up camp on the main floor, underneath the track. One campsite was dominated by a plush, stuffed chimpanzee sitting atop a plastic café table. Underneath the table was a laundry basket filled with snacks.
   Other “campers” brought along inflatable mattresses, and one team set up a tent. But blankets and pillows — along with stuffed animals and food, lots of food — were the most popular setup.
   Kiera Smith, a 21-year-old senior, was one of about 1,000 students who had signed up for the Relay for Life. She was taking part as a member of the inter-varsity Christian Fellowship team. She was ready for the all-nighter, carrying a blanket, a pillow and a backpack.
   ”We did it last year,” said Ms. Smith, who lives in Chittenango, New York. “I’m a senior, and I felt like it was my last chance to experience this for awhile. I want to help people with cancer. This is really a good thing we are doing. I’ll be walking a lot. I want to walk a lot.”
   Zach Bragg, a 21-year-old junior from Parsippany who also signed up for the inter-varsity Christian Fellowship team, trailed along, toting a box full of snacks for his teammates.
   ”This kind of thing is really important,” Mr. Bragg said. “I feel sad. Cancer is really a terrible thing. I would like to help in some way. We are raising a lot of money. So many students are excited about it. I find it more important than anything you could do on campus.”
   Asked if he planned to take a few turns walking all night, he replied, “I’m one who really values sleep” and expressed some concern about staying up all night.
   Nevertheless, the Relay for Life event is a good thing to do, he said.