After a pickup game of basketball one afternoon, UNM student Marcus Bustos' life was changed forever.
He was sore and weak after the game, and the pain didn't fade.
He visited a doctor and had blood work done. The spring of his freshman year, Bustos was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia.
Bustos fought the disease for 20 months before he died at the age of 21.
Bustos' friend Adam Garcia said he got involved with Relay for Life at UNM when he found out his friend's diagnosis.
"I hope I can inform as many people as possible about cancer and help to find a cure with the money we raise," he said.
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Colleges Against Cancer and UNM Relay for Life will celebrate cancer survivors and raise money for cancer research at 4 p.m. today on Johnson field.
Participants spend 15 hours together in teams of eight to 15 people. The objective is to have at least one member of each team walking or running around the track throughout the entire event because "cancer never sleeps."
Teams spend the weeks leading up to the event raising money, said Molly Maguire-Marshall, the event's chairwoman.
Luminarias are also sold for a candlelight ceremony during the event, she said.
"Every dime raised at Relay for Life events goes to fund cancer research, education, advocacy and services for survivors," she said.
Last year, UNM Relay for Life raised $15,000.
Treatment for leukemia includes chemotherapy, radiation therapy, bone marrow and stem cell transplants, UNM Cancer Center oncologist Robert Hromas said.
"Every single leukemia cell has to be killed. If even one is left, it will multiply very quickly," Hromas said. "The bone marrow transplant has to be done a day after the old marrow is removed, otherwise the patient will die."
Bustos received chemotherapy, radiation therapy and a bone marrow transplant, his mother Theresa Bustos said.
"We had to attend a class about the transplant, and he was put on extremely strong chemotherapy," she said. "They had to test his heart to make sure it was strong enough to withstand the level of radiation they were giving. He still stayed so positive."
Hromas said there are many things people can do to boost cancer research.
"Donate blood and platelets, help with errands for cancer patients, as well as supporting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and the American Cancer Society," he said. "Those organizations contribute the most money for research, behind the government."
