Daughter Finds Purpose and Solace in Light The Night

By DONNA NICKEL

Joanie and Allison Martino

For all its ugliness, cancer does seem to bring people together. Allison Martino found that to be the case during her mother Joanie's two and a half year battle with peritoneal cancer. “When my mom was going through treatment, we participated in Relay for Life. We found that everyone with cancer, no matter what kind, shared a common bond. At some level, we could all relate to what everyone else was experiencing.”
Joanie passed away in March 2006 at age 55, just six months after Allison's paternal grandmother Jeanette succumbed to leukemia after previously being treated for lymphoma.
Allison, a 2002 Hoover graduate with an art degree from Dennison University is employed by the Northern Ohio Chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society as the campaign coordinator for Light the Night Walks, a nationwide annual evening event that celebrates and commemorates people whose lives have been touched by blood cancers.
The walk, only a mile or two is geared so all can participate. Walkers carry balloons – white for survivors, red for supporters and gold in memory of a loved one. Walkers often organize teams of friends, family members and co-workers. Allison's team, “Joanie's Walkers,” was formed in memory of her mother and grandmother's battles against cancer.
The three local Light the Night Walk events are: September 28 at Jacobs Field in Cleveland, October 5 at Fifth Third Field in Toledo and October 12 at Lock 3 Park in Akron (near the Aeros Canal Park). Last year, the three local walks raised $366,000. The events enjoy the on-going support of the Cleveland Indians. Walk chairman is CFO Ken Stefanov, with Honorary Chairpersons Cleveland Indians pitcher Cliff Lee and his wife Kristen. The Lee's son Jaxon was diagnosed with leukemia at four-months-old and is now a healthy six-year-old.
Allison participated in the Akron Light the Night Walk last year. “It was a very memorable, moving evening,” she said, adding that seeing the many balloons carried by walkers made it a “a very emotional experience.”
Elaine Lazarus, Joanie's mother is proud of her granddaughter's efforts. “I get a lot of satisfaction knowing Allison's doing something worthwhile,” she said. A two time cancer survivor, Elaine and her husband Mel will be walking with “Joanie's Walkers” at Akron's Light the Night Walk. “I'll be carrying a red balloon,” she said. “I want to show people that I'm living proof that you can survive if you catch things in time and don't neglect going to the doctor.”
Allison hopes the many people from the North Canton area who knew her mother will join “Joanie's Walkers,” form teams of their own or walk as individuals. “I love what I'm doing. It gives me another way to keep a connection with my mother.”
For more information about the Light the Night Walk events, contact Allison Martino at 440-617-CURE (2873) or "Allison.Martino@lls.org. For information about “Joanie's Walkers” visit http://teams.lightthenight.org/joanieswalkers.