Relay for Life is exactly what it sounds like—a relay for life.

Events held all over the country and all over the world bring people together to raise awareness for cancer and raise money for those in need. It is also a memorial for those who have lost their battle with the disease.

Wilkes University will host a Relay for Life event on April 23, organized by Colleges for Cancer. The events will be from noon to 9 p.m. Faculty and students are encouraged to put teams together to raise money and cancer awareness, as well as participate in the events.

According to Relay for Life’s website, events such as ours help raise $400 million each year for cancer research and provide free information for those suffering from the disease and their families.  Some Relay for Life events may last 24 hours or longer, but not all of them.

Wilkes University’s Relay for Life events will run for nine hours. But no matter the length of the events, every hour is worth it to help people diagnosed from cancer.

Every step, every lap around the track, every dollar donated to the American Cancer Society goes to a loved one fighting for life, for (in the words of Relay for Life) another birthday, to a family who desperately does not want to lose a mother, a father, a brother, a sister, a daughter or a son.

Relay for Life is not only for raising awareness and money, but it is also a memorial. Countless candles are lit to remember those who have been lost, to honor their memory and their strength during their darkest time.

It is to remember loved ones and hope that the future will be brighter.

So let us tie our sneakers, ladies and gentlemen, runners and walkers, and run this relay for life so we can help fight this battle against cancer, so that we, too, can run (or walk) for a cure that will help people around the world see another birthday.