Most college students stress over midterms, homework or making rent. Not many have to worry about beating cancer. Christopher Cox, a Tracy native and postgraduate student at Sacramento State, is one of these few people. Cox graduated from Sac State with a marketing degree in 2004. He returned to campus in 2006 to work on medical school prerequisites after being awarded a scholarship from The American Cancer Society.

When he was 10 years old, Cox was diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia. As a child Cox would spend time in Oroville visiting his grandparents over the summer. In the summer of 1992 Cox became oddly ill. He had a low-grade fever, fatigue and joint pain which lasted the majority of the time he spent with his grandparents.

When Cox returned home, his father took him to the doctor and his blood work revealed he had cancer. Cox spent two years at the Oakland Children’s Hospital where he received chemotherapy.

Cox is now cancer free.

“I’m constantly worried about it,” Cox said. “The cancer could come back.”

When Cox was awarded the scholarship from The American Cancer Society, he was informed of an on-campus group associated with the society. Colleges Against Cancer is a nationwide organization of students and faculty members who are dedicated to bringing cancer awareness through advocacy, education, Relay for Life and survivorship.

“The organization is about getting awareness out there,” Cox said. “It’s more of a platform to get people involved.” Cox has been a member of CAC for two years, and he has high hopes for its growth and development as a club on campus.

Senior nursing major Micky Kammerer’s life was indirectly affected by cancer. In addition to worrying about his midterms and other homework, he has spent two years of his college life hoping that his young cousin, Heather Casity, would beat the cancer she was diagnosed with when she was only 8 years old.

Casity, a Lodi native, was playing on the monkey bars at school one day when she fell off and received a nasty bruise. When the bruise did not fade, Casity’s parents took her to Lodi Memorial Hospital where she was diagnosed with a rare cancer called Meuroblastoma. She was then taken to the University of California, San Francisco’s Children’s Hospital. With a 40 percent chance of survival, Casity fought very hard for nearly a year. She had a bone marrow transplant and was free of cancer by the age of 10.

“It was a rough thing to go through, but she pulled through,” Kammerer said.

Kammerer found strength and consolation in CAC during this rough time in his life. “My wife was a health science major and we went to a meeting together and that was two years ago,” Kammerer said. Kammerer is now the President of the Sac State Chapter of CAC.

“I think the education has been the biggest thing on the Sac State campus,” Kammerer said. “CAC focuses on bringing awareness to Sacramento State and so far that has been their greatest success. CAC advocates students to limit their intake of alcohol, to quit smoking and to maintain a healthy diet.”

One area which Kammerer wishes Sacramento’s chapter was stronger is the Relay for Life event.

“Our partners at UC Davis have done a big deal with the Relay for Life and we try to do it every year at Sac State but it just doesn’t work out,” Kammerer said.

Heather Diaz, a professor in the kinesiology and health science department, has been very active with both CAC and the Sacramento chapter of The American Cancer Society.

“CAC has struggled,” said Diaz. “We are not a destination campus and, as we become a destination campus, hopefully it will change.”

CAC has faced the issue of low participant numbers and some of its officers are graduating seniors. Diaz said that they have worked very hard to reach out to freshmen and sophomores, but have had little luck. The organization depends on people who are passionate about awareness and activism. Diaz hopes that CAC will gain some ground and grow.

“CAC benefits students?it allows students to get actively involved,” she said. “People live silently and walk around our campus…with cancer.”

Cozette Roberts can be reached at [email protected].