Teen Cancer Survivor To Help Others Battling Disease

When Mahwah teen Tim Malone was a sophomore in high school, he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma Stage 3B. He left school for treatment.

“Everybody knows someone who has been touched by cancer, but you don’t really understand what it’s like until you go through it yourself,” Malone, now an 18-year-old senior at Paramus Catholic, said. “Having cancer gives you a whole new perspective. So does beating it.”

Malone is a two-year cancer survivor.

“Having cancer forced me to grow up,” he said. “Like, right now, a lot of my friends are worried about petty prom drama. All that stuff flies right over me because I am more mature now. It has just made me more aware of other people’s problems.”

Malone wouldn’t have much time to worry about prom, anyway. For the second year in a row, he is busy in his role as the student event chair for the Relay for Life cancer-fighting fundraiser at Paramus Catholic.

“It is really about celebrating our fight,” Malone said. The teen said he is working to get as many local cancer survivors as possible to come to the Relay. The Relay, which goes from 5 p.m. to 6 a.m. “is symbolic of what you go through when fighting cancer,” he said. “In the beginning it seems ok but it keeps getting longer. Around 2 a.m., you really have to push yourself, it’s the hardest part of the Relay and you have to struggle to get through it. And, by morning, you see that there is hope. The sunrise is the light at the end of the tunnel.”

The event also remembers those who have lost their battle with cancer in a Luminaria ceremony. “It’s a really nice, candlelit event,” Malone said. “People buy $10 luminaria bags and write messages to their loved ones on them. It’s a really nice way to remember.”

Malone’s history with Relay began before his diagnosis. “Before I even had cancer, I did the Relay at Ramsey High School with my dad one year. It was a great experience and I knew I wanted to go back again. I just didn’t realize I would become one of the survivors we were celebrating.

During the Relay, teams who have raised money walk around a track and participate in other events and fundraising activities.

“The first lap is going to be all of us survivors,” Malone said. “Then, our caregivers join for the second lap, and everyone joins in on the third.” At last year’s Relay, Malone raised $4,500 for cancer research. The whole event raised $50K. This year, it’s set an even higher goal of $55,000.

“This year we are really opening it up, we want people from the community to form teams and participate in the Relay,” he said. Last year, Malone said he got "a lot of support" from the Mahwah community during Relay.

The Relay is June 15-16 at Paramus Catholic High School. Participants can sign up to either attend certain ceremonies during the event, or the entire Relay. Get more information about creating a team or donating to Tim's, here.

Before graduating from the school this June and heading for William Patterson University on a full scholarship this fall, Malone said he wants this event to reflect what he sees in the community. “Everybody has been touched by cancer, and I think it’s time we put an end to that,” Malone said. “I’m here, so I am going to Relay so that other people can beat this too.”