There are few things in life that gather friends and family together toward one united goal. One of those things is cancer.

Sophomores Audree Sullivan and Sarah Friedlander recognized this and decided to step in to bridge that at Trinity University.

Sullivan and Friedlander have a passion for the topic and a drive to get the group off the ground.

“I’ve been thinking about starting a support group because my dad was diagnosed with cancer last semester. At first it was thyroid cancer, but it spread to throat cancer,” Sullivan said. “It’s become this whole process. There are some things that are hard to explain, like the frustrations you and your family feel, so I was thinking this group would help deal with something like that.”

Friedlander wanted to start a group that would fundraise and have relays and drives to raise cancer awareness and research. She talked to Sullivan and realized that they could work together and form one group that could help support those with cancer and raise funds in support of cancer research.

“Back home, I’m really involved in our Relay for Life, so when I came to Trinity a lot of schools have their own relay or one in the town they are really involved in. When I looked into the San Antonio relay it was the same week of our summer, and this year it’s the same week as our finals so it wasn’t really plausible to get people involved,” Friedlander said. “I wanted to look into starting a campus-wide relay with other schools using their cancer club as the program behind it, so we looked into starting our own.”

The group wants to provide support and care for those who have a family member or loved one that is battling with cancer. It provides a place where people can meet others that are going through or have gone through the same issues. Even people who have not had that experience are welcome to help with the fundraising and awareness side and give support to the group. Group member and sophomore Michaela Knipp spoke on the group’s goals.

“We really hope to accomplish something on a personal and meaningful level. The club is going to be what the members make of it,” Knipp said. “It might be purely a support system where those affected by cancer can find a confidant or a place they can interact with others in similar situations. The club might become one that puts on fundraisers to raise funds for various cancer societies. It also may end up being a club geared to raising awareness about all forms of cancer and the many ways it affects others. Simply put, we hope to accomplish something meaningful to the members and to the cancer community.”

The group had their first meeting and are now looking to secure a permanent meeting area. In the meantime, the meetings will be held in upstairs Coates.