To the editor:

Cancer has effected all of us, by either a family member, loved one or even ourselves. We each have experienced the hardship and struggles that it brings.

The 10 leading cancers kill a little over two million people a year in the U.S. alone. If every person that dies from cancer has three immediate family members and two close friends, that is over 10 million lives shattered.

I speak as someone whose life was impacted by cancer. In 2000 my mother had kidney cancer and beat it, then it returned in 2005, and she passed away a month before my eighth birthday.

I propose that Seymour starts more fundraisers to help with cancer patients and their families. There are so many fundraisers we could do like having timed obstacle courses, a water balloon fight, bake sells, 5Ks, dodgeball, volleyball, basketball and softball tournaments.

I know that the undertaking of this will need a lot of planning, but I believe with enough people on board this could happen. Eventually, my goal would be that not only Seymour host these kinds of fundraisers but other towns and cities across Indiana adopt the idea and maybe even throughout the U.S.

We could touch so many lives. Imagine dropping that staggering number of 10 million ruined lives in half. We all can do so much more to help. Remember, everything great started out small.

Isaac Spina

Seymour