My sister Laura is an unconventional sophomore at St. Thomas. She’s a recent transfer student from the University of Minnesota who is obsessed with math to the point that it makes my communication and journalism-oriented brain blow a circuit. That’s not what sets her apart, though.

Laura is battling cancer: osteosarcoma, or bone cancer, in layman’s terms.

I could write about her tenacity and willingness to fight for over three years now, taking one of St. Thomas’ only online courses while she undergoes chemotherapy every other week. My family chooses to combat this terrible circumstance in the best way we can, by supporting local researchers working to one day find a cure.

We were first introduced to Children’s Cancer Research Fund when the organization asked Laura to be the ambassador to its Glamorama event in August 2012. I was starstruck meeting celebrities such as Robin Thicke and Karmin, but it was the Twin Cities-based nonprofit that really stole the show.

Fast forward a year, and I landed a summer internship with CCRF. After learning where the money goes, I’m convinced that local organizations like this deserve donors’ full attention.

The first thing my boss had me do was sit down and watch a 20-minute documentary about a kid from the Stillwater area named Zach Sobiech. Zach had osteosarcoma, just like my sister, but he died in May. He was a musician, and his song “Clouds” reached No. 1 on iTunes and made the Billboard Top 100. All of the proceeds from Zach’s song go to CCRF as his wish to help kids like him.

September is Children’s Cancer Awareness Month. As you begin to see posters promoting national cancer research organizations, remember that you don’t have to look far to support cancer research. St. Thomas is all about community, so look within your own community to help.

Investigate what your money is funding. One of the reasons I am so persistent about Children’s Cancer Research Fund is because of the research it supports. After touring the Molecular Cellular Therapy Lab at the University of Minnesota, where Children’s Cancer Research Fund’s money goes, I was amazed. The pediatric cancer research at the Minnesota campus is recognized as one of the top programs in the world. This facility is right in our backyard. You can see the building on the St. Paul campus while you stand in line for cheese curds at the Minnesota State Fair.

Tommies are already getting behind the idea of helping the cause. Love Your Melon, an organization St. Thomas students started to rally behind this research, is doing what it can to ensure that our families and fighters are not alone. Whether it’s passing out wool hats or giving helicopter rides to kids, the community thrives on this support.

Remember that in the end, research is the only thing that will cure cancer. When a family learns their child has cancer the first question asked is always, “What can we do?” Better understanding of these diseases and stronger, more effective treatments can and will happen, but it takes a village. Rally behind your community and support the research happening in it. Like my sister’s bracelets say, “No one fights alone.”

Alex Goering can be reached at goer8777@stthomas.edu.