Great Profiles

On a grey, brisk April afternoon, tents began to rise around the University of Montana’s oval. It was the second annual American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. Students gathered with their teams to prepare for the 24-hour walk later that evening. Circling the oval through the night was a task that awaited them, but it was a much smaller task than those who suffer from cancer must take on.

Towering over the forming crowd, brown hair draped down her back, and her blue eyes glistening from the chill in the air, Liz Martin stands out. As a freshman Martin remembers that crowd in the main tent. Participants were waiting to purchase luminaries in honor of those who have fought the battle against cancer. Martin was in charge of luminary sales that day. During the planning that led up to the event, Martin hadn’t felt much emotion but, once the evening began she felt overcome. “I feel lucky that my grandma is a survivor and I’m sad I’ve lost an uncle, but that’s the sad part about cancer. I’m just one small person in this big fight against cancer,” said Martin. The emotions during Relay for Life were so powerful on that day that they were almost indescribable. Full profile