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Sam Forrest ’19, a marine affairs major, was one of the many students who recently stayed up all night raising money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. He says the University’s Up ‘til Dawn program brought the campus community together for an important cause.

March 11, 2019

By Sam Forrest ’19

"What’s your reason why?" is a simple question at face value, and one that I heard every time I participated in a "No Mo Chemo" rally during the University’s Up ‘til Dawn campaign. During every rally, we were asked why we were raising money for , and a plethora of responses were often cited.

The raw truth is that everyone’s reason was the same, even if we worded it differently. We raised money because we have all been affected by cancer. If you are fortunate enough to not have lost someone directly in your life, look no further than the friends and classmates, as at least one of them surely has lost someone.

"We, as a campus, raised more than $122,000 for St. Jude Research Hospital, putting us among the most successful campaigns in the country." Sam Forrest ’19

Cancer does not discriminate. It takes family. It took my grandmother at the age of 69. I still beat myself up to this day for not spending more time with her.

It takes friends. It took a classmate at the age of 15. That taught our class the value and fragility of human life.

It takes strangers. It took Jacob Thompson at the age of nine. I never met Jacob, but the worldwide support that rallied around him changed my life.

I do not want to paint a grim and dark picture, though, as there are beautiful things cancer cannot take. It cannot take the memories we share with the people in our lives. It cannot take the love we have for the people in our lives. And, maybe most importantly, it cannot take our passion and drive to find a cure for cancer.

The participants in Up ‘til Dawn came from different walks of life, and under normal circumstances might not have interacted together. But our personal battles against cancer made us all a part of something much bigger than our individual selves.

We, as a campus, raised more than $122,000 for St. Jude Research Hospital, putting us among the most successful campaigns in the country. This is something our campus should be immensely proud of, as we are $122,000 closer to making the quote "no child should die in the dawn of life" a reality. We are $122,000 closer to finding the cure for cancer.