Colleges Against Cancer announced Dr. Gordon Klatt will serve as St. Thomas’ Relay for Life’s keynote speaker in the Anderson Athletic and Recreation Complex April 19.

This marks the first time Klatt, a 1964 St. Thomas graduate and Humanitarian Award recipient, has been invited to the university as guest speaker.

“Dr. Klatt embodies what our organization’s mission is all about,” Colleges Against Cancer ceremonies chair Mary Holmes said. “We invited him, and he was gracious enough to come, so we are very excited to have him.”

Klatt, an oncologist in Tacoma, Wash., founded Relay for Life in May 1985. Interested in showing his patients support, Klatt circled around a track for 24 consecutive hours to raise money for the American Cancer Society.

Klatt said he never suspected his fundraising efforts would become a movement held across more than 5,000 communities in the U.S.

“When I first did the 24-hour run by myself … I thought maybe someday the state of Washington could raise a million dollars a year,” Klatt said. “I had no idea the rest of the nation and the world would buy into (Relay for Life).”

The first Relay for Life’s success encouraged Klatt to establish it as a recurring event.

“During the event, when my patients and their families came out to support me, my staff person and I wanted to make it an annual event,” Klatt said. “We dreamed up most of the ideas for the relay while I was going around the track.”

Since 1985, Relay for Life has contributed to the American Cancer Society becoming the second largest provider of research funds, behind the U.S. government. To date, Relay for Life has fundraised more than $4.5 billion to save lives from cancer.

At St. Thomas alone, the event raised over $38,500 with 438 participants’ help in 2012.

Since establishing Relay for Life on campus five years ago, St. Thomas partnered with St. Catherine University. Confident in the event’s overall popularity and success, St. Thomas’ Colleges Against Cancer has chosen to host the event alone this year. According to the Relay for Life website, $10,740 dollars have been raised and 239 participants have signed up for the 2013 event. These numbers are expected to change daily.

Each year, the 12-hour event consists of four ceremonies: the opening, luminary ceremony, a “fight back” ceremony and a closing ceremony. This year’s theme focuses on cancer survivors being able to celebrate another year.

“We wanted to applaud how many birthdays people have been able to celebrate because of what the American Cancer Society has done thanks to relays raising money for them,” Holmes said.

Holmes said storytelling at Relay for Life has played a huge part in its success.

“Fighting against cancer in any way, shape or fashion feels really lonely because it’s not something you really share with people,” Holmes said. “Relay is really a great chance to share their stories.”

Cancer patients and survivors are not the only ones encouraged to tell stories, family and friends are welcome to do so as well.

“It’s a get-together for anyone whose lives have been affected by cancer,” Holmes said. “Cancer affects everyone.”

According to the American Cancer Society, in 2012 about 577,190 Americans were expected to die of cancer, making it the second most common cause of death in the U.S. Additionally, an estimated 1,638,910 new cancer cases were expected to be diagnosed in 2012.

Included in this statistic was Klatt himself, who was diagnosed with stomach cancer last March. Klatt’s battle has not discouraged his belief that the surface has only been scratched against “fighting back” cancer.

“I have no doubt that my grandchildren will see an end to this disease as a major health hazard,” Klatt said. “All relayers will be a part of the reason that cancer will be defeated.”

Holmes agreed that through Relay for Life, hope will be restored and cancer’s power will be overthrown.

“I think Relay gives people a lot of hope that even though cancer does affect everyone, we’re working on it,” Holmes said. “We’re not just sitting back and letting cancer devastate lives, we’re fighting.”

Eden Checkol can be reached at chec7168@stthomas.edu.