Underneath a threatening sky, hundreds of red and white balloons glowed defiantly Saturday evening during Champaign-Urbana's second annual Light the Night Walk.

Light the Night is the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's nationwide evening walk, held annually to celebrate and commemorate people whose lives have been touched by cancer. Despite the threat of rain, a crowd of about 200 people gathered at Urbana's Meadowbrook Park between 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. to show their support for the cause.

The balloons, symbols of hope and fellowship, were carried by the walkers — red by participants and white by cancer survivors, said Judy Grumish, co-chair of the event and mother of leukemia survivor Ryan Grumish.

All funds raised go toward the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's mission to find a cure for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, as well as to improve the quality of life for patients and their families.

"This is not at all your typical fundraiser. It is a complex, elaborate community event," said Dr. Mark Musselman, co-chair of the event and head of hematology and oncology at the University's College of Medicine at Carle Hospital.

The event included free food donated from restaurants across town, live entertainment from The Ton 'O' Fun Band, University a capella groups No Strings Attached and The X-tension Chords, and a silent auction. Entertainment for children included a bouncy house, a clown, a magician and face painting.

"This walk is a way for the community to express their appreciation for what other people are going through and their awareness of the need to continue cancer research and improve patient care," Musselman said.

Grumish's son Ryan spoke at the event alongside his bone marrow donor, Kevin Franzen. They shared their story of meeting one another and urged others to help support cancer research.

Ryan, dressed in blue jeans and a red and white t-shirt — white hat pulled low over twinkling eyes and a ready smile on his lips, looks just like any other 19-year-old kid.

And in many aspects, he is.

But while most high school juniors worried about their ACT's and SAT's, Ryan was fighting for his life.

Ryan said he was diagnosed with leukemia on Jan. 19, 2001, on the day of his parents' wedding anniversary.

"At first, I was just in shock," Ryan said. " I was not really thinking of anything — I just wanted to go home."

In time, and with the support of his family and doctor, he was able to come to terms with his condition.

He has now been in remission for two and a half years, and admits that since his diagnosis, his outlook on life has changed somewhat.

"I feel a lot more mature than anyone else my age," he said. "I mean I'm pretty much a normal guy — I go to school, I work, but I care less about stupid little things. I try not to freak out unless I have a reason, but now I'm always worried if I'm healthy or not. I worry if I just get a headache."

For Ryan, the Light the Night event is something the community truly needs.

"A lot more cancer is popping up in this community — people have to be ready for it," he said. "A lot of people aren't like me, that will talk about it 'til I'm blue in the face — people need this event to get in touch with their emotions; to make life more real."

The Light the Night Walk emphasizes the importance of a community rallying together in search of a cure for cancer, Musselman said, and Grumish agreed.

"Everyone I talk to has someone or knows someone that has cancer. It really does affect everyone more than they realize," she said.

It was her son's diagnosis that propelled her to get involved in the battle against cancer.

"I feel that all (charity) walks are very important, but I think that cancer research walks rank way up there because cancer research usually tends to lead to other cures," Grumish said.

But Grumish said the need for further cancer research and treatment is pressing.

"Leukemia is still the number one disease killer of children under 15, and it strikes 10 times as many adults as children," she said.

Regan Boid, a 27-year-old Urbana resident, knows what it's like to lose someone to cancer.

"I lost a childhood friend to lymphoma," Boid said. "It's very touching to see that this many people are affected by one thing."

For Ryan, as is the case for many of the walk's participants, the event is a very uplifting and symbolic experience.

"Just the fact that the whole event is lighted up by balloons is significant — almost as if to say we're blazing the path (for a cure)," he said.