Sep 25, 2005 By Rebekah Sungala 4 min read

Jacob Elias is 31/2 years old and has cancer. Every Friday, his parents drive him to Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh where he receives chemotherapy. Sometimes he also undergoes a spinal tap while he’s there, to make sure the cancer hasn’t spread. Wearing a picture of his son pinned to his T-shirt, J.R. Elias of Uniontown said Jacob was diagnosed with leukemia in March. He said he and his wife were in denial at first, but said organizations, such as The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society helped them deal with the situation.

“The day before he was diagnosed, I was playing soccer with him outside. The next day he had a low-grade fever. We took him to the doctors and they took a blood test, then they told us he had leukemia. It’s something you think will never happen,” he said.

Elias was one of many people who participated Saturday in the Fayette County Light the Night Walk at Uniontown Area High School.

The purpose of the evening walk, sponsored by The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, is to raise awareness of blood cancers and raise money for cures.

Elias said the society helps his family, paying for medication not covered by health insurance and reimbursing 5 cents for every mile traveled to get Jacob medical care, and said he wanted to return the favor by raising money to help other families.

An estimated 747,465 Americans are living with blood cancers, according to the society.

Statistics show leukemia causes more deaths than any other cancer among children and young adults under age 20. In addition, non-hodgkin lymphoma is the fifth most common cancer in the United States.

People who participate in the walk form teams and carry illuminated balloons. Those who have survived or are living with cancer carry white, and those walking to support and commemorate lives affected by cancer carry red.

Representatives from the society said walkers collect money in order to participate, and all of the funds raised by participants support the society’s mission of curing leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma while improving the quality of life of patients and their families.

Because of the hurricanes that recently struck the Gulf Coast, the society has also promised to grant $1 million to help patients in the disaster areas.

Elias said he decided to participate this year after his son’s diagnosis. Family members and friends joined in, and he said his team alone was able to raise almost $4,000.

Together, all of the teams who participated in the second annual walk were able to raise more than $40,000. Last year the event raised $20,000.

Walking in memory of his brother, Bernie Yantko said he thinks it’s important people unite to fight against blood cancers.

Yantko said his brother, Stephen Yantko, was only 59 years old when he died from leukemia, after undergoing two bone marrow transplants. Participating in the walk is one of the ways he honors his brother’s memory, he said.

Carrying a red balloon as she walked, Erica Bertovich, team captain of Little Stars of Hope, said she decided to participate in Light the Night four years ago, and had to travel to Morgantown, W.Va., because there weren’t any walks being held in Uniontown then.

Bertovich said no one in her immediate family was affected by cancer, but said she “just wanted to help.”

Over the years, she and her fellow teammates have raised more than $10,000 for the society, raising a record $2,600 this year.

She said it feels good to be able to donate the money, knowing that it’s going to a good cause, and said her team held various fund-raisers throughout the year, including bake sales, car washes and a Chinese auction.