Cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, last year in Ohio alone, there were 56,840 new cancer cases diagnosed. Cancer was the second leading cause of death in the United States, coming in after only heart disease. Cancer will be the cause of one person’s death every minute; this equates to 1,440 people every 24 hours. Three out of every four American families will have at least one member infected with this disease. And out of every four people who are diagnosed with cancer, one of them will lose the battle.

These are some scary statistics, but want to know something even scarier? Cancer isn’t a disease that’s affecting just older generations. Out of the nearly 57,000 cases of cancer in Ohio, 5,700 of these cases are college-aged students. Cancer is the fourth leading cause of death among college age students. Cancer comes behind only unintentional injuries, homicide, and suicide. If cancer is killing so many college age students, why isn’t it being talked about? There are so many ways to get the word out in order to help college students protect themselves and raise awareness to help beat out cancer.

I get it, I’m a college student too. Numbers don’t really mean anything to me . We have this mindset of “It could never happen to me” or “I’ll never lose anyone I love to cancer.” I thought the same thing until my world was changed. Last July, one of my good friends was putting a belt on before church one morning and noticed a lump on his stomach. A doctor’s visit later, he came home with the diagnosis of kidney cancer. His entire world, not to mention the world of everyone who loved and cared about him, came crashing down around him. I’d describe Matt as a kid with a smile that could light an entire room, a laugh that was contagious, and a spirit that was uplifting. He was always on the honor roll and he was in some of his high school’s plays and considered doing something in the entertainment field as a career. This past December, he lost his fight. After months of chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation, it was over. It’s not a loss that fades fast. Even now, two months later, there are days where I wake up and can’t believe it; I don’t want to believe it, it just hurts too much. I’ll always miss him. And I’ll never forget him. How can we keep this from happening to ourselves? How do we spare our loved ones this hurt?

We’re in college and one of the best parts of college is being able to think for ourselves and do our own thing. I’m not your mother and I don’t want to sound like one. But there are things we can do to take care of ourselves.

• Eat your fruits and vegetables. Challenge someone in your dorm to a broccoli eating contest. I live in the dorms. And I know we turn pretty much anything into a contest.
• Avoid smoking. Another obvious one. Smoking causes 87% of lung cancer cases. I think I speak for a lot of girls when I say that we don’t like kissing someone who tastes like an ashtray.
• Exercise and keep yourself healthy. Head to the RPAC. We all want to look good. Why not fight cancer while working out?
• Wear sunscreen when you you’ll be outside for a lengthy period of time. Skin cancer is one of the most prominent cancers for young people. And avoid the tanning beds! Go get a spray tan to match your buff beach bod.

Also be on the lookout for symptoms. Things such as persistent coughs, headaches, blurred vision, nausea, issues with balance, unexplained weight changes, unusual bleeding, and swelling or lumps in certain body parts can be warning signs of cancer. Obviously some of these symptoms can be attributed to things such as the common cold, bronchitis, or the flu. But if the symptoms continue to persist, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Being precautious can end up saving your life.

Like I said before, cancer doesn’t just affect the person diagnosed. Family and friends are also sufferers from the disease. So, what can we do? What can college students do to get the word out about cancer and stop the hurt? There are tons of ways. As college students, we like to do things quickly and efficiently so that our time isn’t consumed. And there are ways to support cancer awareness that are quick and easy. Purchasing awareness bracelets is one way to do this. All you have to do is go to www.choosehope.com and choose which cancer you’d like to support. A portion of the proceeds is donated to cancer research and services. I have an orange ribbon to support my friend who lost his fight. It’s an easy way to be involved.

Another way we’ve all heard I’m sure is the Relay for Life. I am writing this about a day after I completed the OSU Relay for Life. I can honestly say it was one of the best experiences of my life. Staying up for twenty four hours was rough, and I slept almost all day Sunday once I got back, but hearing that we, as a campus, raised around 115,o00 dollars and knowing my team was responsible for almost two thousand of that, it was amazingly worth it. One of the most surreal things that happened was the during the Luminaria ceremony when everyone was given a glow stick. We were asked to crack it when they named off a title of someone (parent, grandparent, sibling and so on) we had lost. By the end of the 25 second list, all 800 participants had lit their glow stick. It drove home the idea that I wasn’t alone; everyone knows SOMEONE stricken by this disease.

Cancer is a disease that is hitting college students and young adults nationwide. Regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, orientation, or political views, everyone is at risk. Cancer doesn’t discriminate. This isn’t some disease of the future, it’s affecting college students, and it’s affecting them now. Think of someone you’ve lost. Whether it someone you’re related to or just friends with. Like my friend Matt, I know that they would want us to commemorate them by fighting this thing. Think of people you know that are fighting cancer or are survivors. Do this in honor of them. The true Buckeye likes to win. So let’s get together and beat cancer.