In Medill sophomore Kayla Stoner’s family, the onset of cancer has taken its toll. She said three of her four grandparents have died from cancer, while the fourth has battled cancer twice. Her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was 16 years old.

Stoner, with her sister, Communication junior Meagan Stoner and eight others, put together a team for this year’s Relay for Life on Friday night in the Sports Pavilion and Aquatics Center. She said this was the first time she had participated in the event, as the nearest one to her small town in Montana was six hours away.

“Because it’s so prominent in our family, supporting research seems like something that you just have to do,” she said. “It’s something we’ve all accepted that it’s a very likely possibility for us, especially the women.”

About 900 participants raised more than $105,000 for the event in support of cancer research through the American Cancer Society, said event co-Chair Kate Nylander. Ryan Shannon, event co-chair and Weinberg junior, said the group received about $120,000 in 2009 and expected at least an additional $10,000 to come in for this year.

“Everybody has been affected by cancer in some way,” Nylander said. “There’s been so much research on it and it’s becoming more and more treatable.”

The night, which lasted from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. Saturday, opened with speeches from a cancer survivor, Northwestern football coach Pat Fitzgerald and Prof. Eric Weiss. Nylander said Weiss has received funds for research from the American Cancer Society for the past four years.

Members from teams walked around the track all night, though not all at once.

“I expected more Dance Marathon type stuff where they would make sure people were constantly walking on the track the whole time, but it was a much more social atmosphere,” Stoner said.

Jacquelyn Thich organized a Relay for Life team for NU Cheerleading and said they raised almost $700 through two bake sales at tennis matches and e-mails to family and friends.

She said the team had someone on the track for most of the time, though she said they brought board games and nail polish.

“It was like one big sleepover,” the McCormick sophomore said.

Student entertainment groups performed for participants, as did music group AfroFlow, who Shannon said tours different Relay for Life events in partnership with the American Cancer Society.

At about 10 p.m., participants lined a tennis court with paper bags with a glow stick as part of the Luminaria ceremony, Nylander said. Shannon said the ceremony was meant as a time to remember cancer victims.

The event at NU is part of a cause that spans 20 countries, according to the Relay for Life website. Shannon said relays are typically held at colleges in April and May, while communities host them in July and August.

“It’s kind of like an investment in the future,” Stoner said. “We have a pretty high stake in this.”

Alexandra Finkel contributed [email protected]