By Alina Merlak
Leukemia has never been an unfamiliar term to junior Grace McCollum. When McCollum was in third grade, her 10-year-old cousin passed away from this cancer of the blood cells. “I don’t have any older siblings, and she was the oldest cousin, then it went to me,” said McCollum. “She was my best friend, my role model, I just remember thinking I’m never going to be able to fill her shoes.” Ever since then, McCollum has been inspired to help leukemia and lymphoma organizations any way that she can.
In the fall of 2015, McCollum was surfing the internet when she came across the Light the Night Walk, a fundraising campaign that raises research money for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, caught her attention. “I wanted to be a part of contributing, to hopefully someday, finding a cure,” said McCollum. In the time of a little over a month, she singlehandedly raised $370 for the cause, and got to participate in a night of celebration and remembrance at Kinnick Stadium.
Once she made the decision to do the walk, she had to prepare. First, she told her family to keep their schedules open in October so that everyone could participate in the walk. Next, she had to raise money to donate to the event. McCollum went door to door, talked to friends and family, and even asked for donations on Facebook. “The hardest part was raising money,” McCollum said, “especially since most people raise money by selling things. People donated less compared to my past experiences, since they weren’t getting anything out of it.”
Finally, the night of the walk came. When McCollum and her family got to the walk, held at Kinnick Stadium, in Iowa City, she turned in her collections and she and her family got wristbands to get into the event. They also got access to extra things based on the amount of money raised. She raised enough money to get to eat at a snack table, and got a few free T-shirts. Everyone also got a red or yellow lantern to hold. “My favorite part was walking with all my family members,” said McCollum. “Being there gathered in a central area doing something together about something that brought us so close was really cool.”
Although her journey contributing to the Light the Night Walk was challenging, McCollum believes it was worth it. In the end she was able to raise $370 in a little over a month. The average amount raised is $250 and she beat that by over $100 dollars. Even more impressive, she planned the experience all by herself. “Most of my family didn’t even know exactly what was happening until the night of the walk,” said McCollum. She believes that everyone should participate in an event like this. “I definitely think that people should raise money for the things that they are passionate about,” said McCollum. “It makes you feel like you helped and made a difference.”
Grace McCollum’s family is only one of the thousands that have lost a loved one to leukemia or another type of blood cancer. These diseases kill over 50,000 people each year. A cure needs to be found but that can’t be possible without help from the public. Whether it’s a $20 or $370 donation, every dollar helps. The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, American Cancer Society, and Susan G. Women for the Cure, are only three of the many organizations that collect donations for cancer research. McCollum said, “It really makes you feel good when you’re done.”
