Iona’s annual Light the Night Walk was held on Oct. 8, on the Mazzella Field. This event took place in the middle of Make A Difference week on campus, and saw many willing Gaels excited to participate. Dozens of students lined up to participate in this hopeful event to commemorate those who battle cancer.

The Light the Night Walk has become a yearly tradition for the Iona campus and began to honor a student’s mother, who had been diagnosed with cancer. This year, it was commissioned to sponsor the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, which hosts similar Light the Night Walks throughout the country. These events find different ways to bring light to the darkness.

Emily Nevins, the master of ceremonies for the night, was pleased with the attendance.

“It was a great turnout,” said Nevins, who was particularly happy with the number of clubs represented. “It was great to work with other organizations, and to have their support meant so much more.”

Registration for the event began in the LaPenta EndZone at 7:30 p.m., and about 100 members of the Iona community signed up to participate. Here, each received a maroon or gold light up balloon, to carry around the field. Cameras were at the ready for the sight, and while the event was moving, the atmosphere was one of triumph and hope rather than despair. The Iona Pipe bound played as the students marched around the field the first time. The second was a more solemn round, as marchers were encouraged to reflect on those that had lost their battle to cancer. Though not a social event, the walk brought a sense of community and support to those who participated.

The highlight of the night, however, was a speech given by senior Monica Jesby about her diagnosis with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma last year.

“I had two options after my diagnosis,” Jesby said. “I could quit everything and just give up, or I could look cancer in the face and say ‘bring it on’.”

Though she easily could have given a hopeless account of her experience, she related her story with bravery and optimism. She described the inspiring individuals she met during chemotherapy, and reflected that it was “a true blessing in disguise.”

“I look back at my own cancer experience and don’t regret a single minute of it,” Jesby said. “I would never wish it to happen to anyone else, but I also would never say that I wish it didn’t happen to me. Because of cancer, I am able to look at life in such a different way now. I appreciate every second, every minute of every day because in all honesty that could have been taken away from me.”

Jesby then pulled names for the raffles. The prizes were four gift certificates for Buffalo Wild Wings and Target. All money raised from the raffle was donated directly to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

The Light the Night Walk will hopefully shine at Iona for many years to come. Felicia Colangelo and the Edmund Rice Society coordinated and sponsored the event and helped to make campus a little bit brighter.