With inspiration from his brother, a Revere High School student has begun a fundraiser to raise money in support of those affected by cancer.

In September of 2013, Revere graduate Jake Totten was diagnosed with leukemia. In response to the news, Jake’s brother, Mackey Totten, a current junior at Revere, felt he needed to find a way to help his brother, as well as the many others who have been diagnosed with cancer. With help from the Revere Symphonic Choir, Mackey began selling colored bandanas to raise money to support cancer patients like his brother. Each color represents a specific form of cancer awareness: orange represents leukemia awareness, pink represents breast cancer awareness, and lavender represents all types of cancer. The money will go to the Seidman Cancer Center at University Hospital in Cleveland. Mackey explained the format for his fundraiser.

“I am selling the bandanas the last Thursday of every month [for] the rest of the school year. I hope to extend this trend into years to come, and possibly even [into] other schools,” Mackey said.

Mackey has had two main inspirations to bring along this fundraiser. He spoke of what motivated him to start fundraising.
“One of my biggest motivations is simply to give to others less fortunate than I. The other is my older brother,” Mackey said.

Jake voiced how he felt to see his brother start the fundraiser.

“I think the fundraiser is a great idea. It really lets people know that there are other cancers out there that people have to deal with,” Jake said.

Mackey told how he thought of the idea to sell bandanas.

“It seems everyone likes to wear a bandana if they are allowed. I like to be able to see who all contributed to the cause as well. All [of] the color just stands out. Lastly, it bands everyone together for a couple days against a cause greater than themselves, and that’s enough of a reason in itself,” Mackey said.

Mackey has received help from the Revere Symphonic Choir with selling the bandanas and spreading the word. Dr. Deborah Devore, the choir director, discussed how her class has assisted Mackey.

“The students in the Symphonic Choir have rallied behind Mackey to support his project to raise money to support cancer patients. Pre-sale within the choir was superb and this enabled the word to spread throughout the school.  In addition, the choir members are taking turns selling the bandanas during the lunch periods.  I am very proud of Mackey for initiating this project in such an organized manner and I am proud of the Symphonic Choir students for actively supporting Mackey and the project,” Devore said.

Mackey has high hopes for the fundraiser. He voiced his goals for the project.

“I would like to start a ‘pay it forward’ process in many [other] schools, which involves giving to others. [They will] pass the kindness on to another,” Mackey said.

Both Mackey and Jake have changed their outlooks on life in response to Jake being diagnosed with leukemia. Jake talked about his views and the importance of having a positive attitude.

“My outlook on life has changed drastically. If you have a dream, you have to just go for it and attack it… you never know what is going to be around the next corner. I realized that life brings many twists and turns, you just need to remember to stay positive and pray for the best outcome,” Jake said.\

As for Mackey’s outlook, he mentioned the importance of handling adversity to better himself and to embrace the aspects of life.
“I’ve always tried to love, perfect and beautify all things in my life. Some of the adversity just makes me want to do all those things even more. [I want] to help other people so they don’t have to face some of the adversity my family has. Life is too short to waste any time,” Mackey said.

The Totten family has received support from the community. Jake spoke of the support and how he was thankful to receive it.

“I have gotten many letters from very generous people. I have also received lots of texts and phone calls from people as well wishing me good luck and letting me know that they are praying for me. Even some close family friends have made dinner for my family and I am very thankful for [it],” Jake said.

After the first fundraiser alone, around 200 bandanas were sold and Revere High School collected over $1000 for the cause. Jake expressed his appreciation toward the school’s participation in the fundraiser.

“At first when I heard [the fundraiser] made over one thousand dollars, I could not believe it! I’m very happy the school participated and helped so many people going through this ordeal by raising the money,” Jake said.

Mackey will be selling the bandanas on the last Thursday of each month. He would like to thank Revere for the participation in the first month of the fundraiser and encourages the school to keep up the good work.