Cancer is a disease that touches the lives of many people worldwide, affecting many through the difficulties it causes.
One individual, 12-year-old Kaylee English, who was affected by the disease through the loss of her grandparents, took those struggles and turned them into a way to benefit others.
English is a swimmer for the local Fulton Fins Swim Club. She has been swimming since she was five years old, and she decided to help organize a "Pink Out" swim meet to "Splash Out Cancer" by raising money for the American Cancer Society in memory of her late grandparents.
The Mid-Missouri Swim Conference swim meet July 2 seemed like the best way for English to get started on her service project for the National Junior Honor Society, of which she is a member. Coincidentally, this event was also the same day as her 12th birthday.
According to Laura English, Kaylee's mother, the event began with Kaylee's idea, and it turned into something much bigger than expected.
The event, held at Oestreich Municipal Swim Pool in Fulton on Wednesday, was projected to host five teams from California, Centralia, Eldon, Jefferson City and Mexico with about 250 swimmers, according to Laura English.
Kaylee had the idea to host the service program, sketched up some ideas for T-shirt designs, and the support took off from there.
Many of the parents of children on the swim team helped out with the event, including Sheila Bastian, who acted as a liason for the press organizations and other parents. Others helped with ordering cookies from Sweet Temptations and making and selling T-shirts to raise money to donate. Bastian says she is "really proud," and she "just wants to see how we could help."
"Everyone has been touched by cancer," said Bastian. "It's an important event that is close to my heart."
She says she would like to see this "Splash Out Cancer" swim meet become an annual event, and she wants to "swim for a cause" and "splash out cancer" every year.