Thousands join Light the Night Walk in downtown Las Vegas

Aubrey Arreola and her husband, Marc lost their 6-year-old son Carson to T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia in May. On Saturday, they gathered co-workers, friends and family members to walk in his memory and raise money for cancer research.

More than 6,000 people were expected to participate in the annual Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Light the Night Walk in downtown Las Vegas. The 1½-mile walk started at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Western Hotel, 899 Fremont St.

Money raised by teams and individuals at the walk will support blood cancer research, free educational programs and more for patients and families, an official said. Walkers carried illuminated lanterns-white for survivors, red for supporters and gold in memory of those lost.

The Arreola family gathered more than 200 people for “Team Carson” to walk Saturday night. The group raised more than $27,000 for the walk, Aubrey said.

“This walk is a nice way for us to remember him. We’ll make it an annual event to do every year in honor of him to hopefully find a cure for this cancer,” she said.

Some of the money raised at the walk goes to co-pay assistance to help families with medical expenses, Elizabeth Hunterton, the society’s executive director, said.

“To see everyone carrying a different colored lantern, whether it be white, red or gold is so special. We’re all here carrying different colored lanterns but we’re all here for one cause. It’s so special to be a part of this,” Hunterton said.

The society aims to help find a cure for leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.

To learn more about the society and its efforts, visit www.lls.org.

Contact Jessica Terrones at jterrones@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Follow @JessATerrones on Twitter.