Viterbo students help fight cancer

This year, over 562,340 Americans are expected to die of cancer as predicted by the American Cancer Society. Kaila Schoenberger, sophomore biopsychology major from Franksville, Wis., knows how scary that statistic can be. 

"My grandma was diagnosed and survived breast cancer, but a lot of people's loved ones aren't as lucky," Schoenberger told Lumen. Inspired by those who fight through cancer like her grandma, Schoenberger participated in the La Crosse Colleges Relay for Life event Feb. 5 to 6.  

The Relay for Life celebrates the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember s loved ones lost, and fights back against the disease while raising money for the American Cancer Society and cancer research. 

At this year's La Crosse Colleges Relay for Life, over $74,000 was raised by participants to benefit the American Cancer Society, Schoenboerger said.

Schoenberger has been involved in the Relay for Life for two years, this year volunteering as both a team captain and co-chair on the Team Recruitment/Registration Committee on the Viterbo campus.

 "I was a mentor for all of the Viterbo teams," Schoenberger said of her position on the Team Recruitment/Registration Committee. "I was there to answer questions and help the teams out." 

This year, Viterbo had six teams participate in the Relay for Life, adding to the 85 total teams at the event. The 85 teams consisted of over 950 people from the La Crosse community who walked laps around the track at UW-La Crosse from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. to support those affected by cancer and the American Cancer Society.

Schoenberger also acted as one of the Viterbo team captains. "Our team name was the Pink Panthers," Schoenboerger said. The Pink Panthers consisted of a group of 15 Viterbo friends who dyed t-shirts pink to wear at the relay. 

 "As team captain it was my job to get all the information to my team and encourage them to fundraise," Schoenberger said. 

Throughout the night, the Relay team members kept up the energy into the wee hours of morning by participating in free activities such as rock climbing, dance classes, Wii tournaments, and raffle drawings for prizes, ping pong, dodge ball and blind volleyball while they took turns walking around the track. 

"My favorite was arm wrestling the La Crosse Spartan football players," Schoenberger said. 

Mandy Jo Mlsna, freshman nursing major from Spencer, Wis., also acted as a team captain at this year's Relay for Life.  Mlsna was captain of the Viterbo Honors team consisting of 12 Viterbo students enrolled in the Honors Program. 

Mlsna also understands the firsthand effects of cancer. "Both of my grandparents are survivors and my aunt died a year ago to cancer," Mlsna said. By participating in the Relay for the first time, Mlsna wanted to help raise awareness and money for the many others who had been affected by cancer.

"My favorite memory was how goofy my teammates were getting as the night turned to early morning," Mlsna said. 

The Relay for Life has been raising money for cancer research since 1985 when Gordy Klatt, a colorectal surgeon, decided he wanted to raise money for the American Cancer Society and show support for his patients who had battled cancer. Klatt ran and walked around a track in Tacoma, Wash., for 24 hours straight as people donated money and even joined him. 

Today over 3.5 million people in the United States a year join in Klatt's tradition and participate in Relay for Life events to fight cancer.

Schoenberger agreed with the Relay for Life's motto, "One person can make a difference. I think that by participating in the relay, I can make a difference in the fight against cancer."