Almost one in two men and one in three women will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime.
It is these staggering numbers that keep the Relay for Life team working, not just in the spring, but all year long.
Relay for Life takes more than a year to plan, it but has become an expected tradition for the spring semester, as hundreds of students and community members take to the track to walk in the fight against cancer.
Along the way, they raise awareness and thousands of dollars that The American Cancer Society pours into research and services for victims.
"Every time I give a speech to a group of people I always ask who has been affected by cancer," said Kelley Andrews, senior in communication and the publicity chair for the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life committee in Auburn. "Every single one of them raises their hand."
Andrews does not exaggerate.
Despite that the event won't take place until April 2011, chapter visits are already underway to fraternities and sororities in an effort to build teams.
"The more people we have participate, the less each individual has to push themselves," said Emily Simpson, senior in biomedical sciences and chair of Relay for Life at Auburn.
For Andrews and Simpson, the fight against cancer has not always been one of raising money and getting people to walk around a track.
It has been real and personal.
Andrews is one of nine cancer survivors in her family.
She has been involved in Relay for Life since she was a young child.
Simpson's mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005.
One year later, she was leading a Relay for Life team at her high school.
Andrews looks at the effort that goes into Relay for Life no differently than the effort it took her entire family to battle the disease.
"Families and friends come together, and it becomes a part of your normal, everyday routine," Andrews said.
It is this spirit of the community against a common evil that Relay for Life seeks to foster in Auburn.
"Cancer doesn't discriminate," Simpson said. "It doesn't care if you're male, female, your color or you age."
This reality is hammered home every spring at Relay for Life.
"My favorite part of last year's event was cheering for the survivors during the opening lap," said Michelle Duplantier, undeclared science and math sophomore. "Knowing that they were students my own age and a part of the Auburn family made it a unique experience."
Duplantier walked with her sorority last year and said she would encourage anyone to participate this year.
"To be involved in something like this at such a young age is great," Simpson said. "And it doesn't stop at college. You can do this for the rest of your life."
While chapter visits have already begun, the year of cancer awareness will pick up in early October with the weeklong "Paint the Campus Purple" event.
The week will feature daily publicity events to raise awareness and to encourage people to sign up for Relay for Life.
"A cure will never be possible if it's not for the outstanding volunteers in our communities that inspire, encourage and impact," Andrews said.
Experience has taught Andrews and Simpson that with enough fight, anything is possible.
This same fighting mentality will go into Relay for Life in 2011.
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