This month, students at Creighton University, along with people all across the nation, are acknowledging Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a time to recognize those who are suffering or have died from breast cancer. A few male students at Creighton are raising awareness by shaving their heads in honor of those who suffer from breast cancer.
This is graduate student Jeff Peak’s third year shaving his head, and the first year at Creighton that he has gotten others to do it with him. When Peak worked at an afterschool program in Chicago, Illinois, one of his co-workers was dealing with breast cancer.
“I have the easy job,” Peak said. “I get to choose that I want to shave my head for a month out of the year. I don’t have to deal with the emotional rollercoaster a diagnosis of cancer brings, nor the physical toll surgery, radiation, chemo, nausea – and so on – wreaks upon the body.”
Another student, Arts & Sciences freshman Andrew Smith, shaved his head for breast cancer in honor of his aunt who died from it in March.
“This has made me realize how many people the disease affects every year, and I am now doing everything that I can to support the cause,” Smith said.
Smith volunteered for the American Cancer Society in January and is currently a committee member for Creighton’s Relay for Life.
“At first people think I look a little strange, and they ask me why I shaved my head,” Smith said. “But when I tell them that I did it for Breast Cancer Awareness month, they are very supportive and they laud me for supporting the cause.”
Other students helped raise awareness for breast cancer by attending the Susan G. Koman Race for the Cure on Oct. 3. Some Creighton students, including members of the women’s rowing team and dance team, participated in the event.
“Every time the [rowing] team and I saw a survivor walking, we really cheered them on,” Business freshman Nikki Isidro said. “It was really inspiring to see the survivors participate in the race knowing that they were strong enough not only to beat cancer but also to advocate a cure for it.”
Peak is aware that many people have either dealt with some type of cancer or have witnessed others who have.
“When I was at church this morning, during the homily we were asked to raise our hand if we or someone we knew had been affected by cancer,” Peak said. “Nearly all present raised their hands. So even if most of us hadn’t ever received a cancer diagnosis, we had been along part of the journey before [by] providing help, prayers or other types of support for someone we knew.”
Creighton University’s Relay for Life has also been doing its part to raise awareness. The event, held March 26-27, raised $69,017 for the American Cancer Society. More than 900 relayers attended, along with 37 survivors.
The group was recently honored in Dallas, Texas at the American Cancer Society Relay For Life Leadership Summit, which annually recognizes the best Relays For Life in the High Plains Division based on the per capita of the event and volunteer involvement. Creighton’s Relay placed first out of six states at the Summit.
“The slogan for Relay for Life is to ‘celebrate, remember and fight back,'” said Arts & Sciences junior Allison Corrigan, president of Cancer Awareness and co-chair of the event. “We’re not asking for thousands of dollars, but every little bit adds up.”
Creighton’s “Pink Out,” an annual event that educates students on prevention and early detection of cancer as well as services provided by the American Cancer Society for those who are suffering from cancer, was also recognized at the Summit. It earned Creighton a Heart of Relay for Mission Delivery award and received a national honorable mention.
The women’s volleyball team will be celebrating the “Pink Out” again by wearing pink jerseys on Oct. 29.