A Walk To Remember - New Brunswick, NJ
Sunday, November 14th 2010. It’s a day that Kappa Colony will remember for the rest of their lives. It’s also a day that Jaynish Patel Brother, Iron Man, will cherish and keep close to his heart for the rest of his life. Finally, it’s a day where over 300 people get to see first hand how one man’s battle with a relapsing cancer is touching lives everywhere.
“A Walk to Remember” was a 5K walk hosted by the brothers of Delta Epsilon Psi at Kappa Colony to provide support to Jaynish, both fiscal and emotional. Jaynish Patel is a member of the Beta Class of Kappa Colony and the success of the event was due largely to the effort of his line brother and close friend, Aman Singh. Singh was pleased with the turnout and admitted it has been a difficult time for him. He stated “To see this happen once to someone you care about is devastating. But to see it twice, then you know humanity has a responsibility to assist those who are suffering through any sort of pain.”
At 8:30 a.m. there were already 150 people lined up to register. By 9:10, the walk had registered 325 people, all of who were helping themselves to bagels and the music and entertainment provided by our fraternal disc jockey Shivam Patel. All walkers made 4 laps around Postal Road in Piscataway, New Jersey around check stations filled with water and food provided by Dunkin Donuts. In attendance were brothers from colonies in New Jersey, Philadelphia and New York. Also in attendance was Delta Epsilon Psi’s national reigning rookie of the year Kaleb Smart. Smart too was amazed by the perseverance demonstrated by Jaynish throughout his ordeal. Other Greek organizations including Delta Kappa Delta, Kappa Phi Gamma, Sigma Beta Rho, Iota Nu Delta, Beta Chi Theta, Delta Sigma Iota, & Delta Phi Omega were also in attendance to honor Jaynish at his walk.
The sisters of Kappa Phi Gamma have assisted in every aspect of this event to make sure it turned out to be as successful as possible. Devshree Kachane, who happens to be one of Jaynish’s closest friends, made it her personal responsibility to oversee that Kappa Phi Gamma promoted, worked for, and treated this event as if it were their own.
At its end, the event was a huge success. Over $11,000 was raised and it will be donated to The Children’s Fund as per Jaynish’s request. At one of its most sentimental points during the walk, Jaynish took the stage and personally thanked everyone for coming to this event. People realized through his words that his determination to beating this disease is far more than a surface request for support. It was a mental journey that requires feats of endurance, turmoil, and sacrifice to gather the strength needed to defeat this demon we call cancer. Jaynish’s parents were also present, and though it was difficult for them they were ecstatic to see all the support Jaynish received.
Finally, there was one person who was deeply affected by the nature of this event. Neel Patel, president of Kappa Colony, spent sleepness nights, managed garner many sponsors, and had the brothers working as a movement to make sure the walk would leave a lasting impression on everyone who registered. Patel, a close friend of Jaynish for over three years, opened the event with a touching speech about his relationship with Jaynish. He was in tears when D.E.P.si finalized the total amount raised to $11,000. However more than the walk itself, it was Neel’s inspirational words that permeated to everyone at the walk. His final words are some that even I will continue to remember for the rest of my life.
“Jaynish, if I had only one wish, it would be for you to see yourself the way others see you. Then you’d be able to see how amazing you truly are.”
