Her mom and younger brother, Carson, a fifth grader, had left for what she thought was a normal doctor’s appointment. Carson had recently joined his first tackle football team and kept telling his family, “It hurts when I get hit.” They teased him at first, but his insistence that “it hurts on the inside” sent him to a doctor and, later that day, the hospital.

Lasher didn’t know any of this. What she did know was that her grandmother picked her up from school – strange. Then her dad was already home – stranger. When she walked in the door, her family sat silently on the couch.

It would take three years and ultimately Carson’s passing before she fully understood the scope of his diagnosis. Carson had a rare germ cell tumor that fewer than 10 people had ever had worldwide.

Lasher holds tightly to her memories of Carson, the way a big sister does. She remembers his thick Southern accent, even though they were from Indiana, and how kind he was to his classmates. She even hopes parts of his personality live on in her, especially his sense of humor.

“I would never admit this to him, but he was really funny in a very sarcastic way,” she said. “Sometimes people pick up on my humor and say, ‘Oh, that’s really funny,’ but it’s not truly mine. I picked it up from him.”

The day Carson died, Lasher remembers when it was finally time to leave the hospital, her dad looked at her, lost.

“We had to start making our way out, and Dad was just standing there looking like, ‘What do we do now?’” Lasher said. “I’m like, ‘Well, what else can we do but do good?’”

That commitment led to the creation of the Carson E. Lasher Foundation, which supports families facing pediatric cancer and other childhood illnesses. It also led Carly to raiseRED.

raiseRED is UofL’s largest student-run philanthropic organization, supporting the Norton Children’s Cancer Institute and the UofL School of Medicine. As part of the Miracle Network Dance Marathon, raiseRED connects students to a national movement dedicated to fighting pediatric illness.

The group’s yearlong fundraising culminated in a 12-hour dance marathon on Saturday, Feb. 21, at the Swain Student Activities Center. This year, the Cardinal community raised more than $470,000 in��support of the Norton Children’s Cancer Institute and the UofL School of Medicine.��.��

For her, the organization’s purpose is simple.

“We get a group of over 500 college kids together to fight for something that’s bigger than themselves,” said Lasher, who leads UofL’s raiseRED as its programming director. “We bring everyone together for this common goal of making good in our world.”

Lasher believes Carson would be proud of her work and her college career as a criminal justice major in the . Set to attend law school in the fall, she imagines he would have joined her at UofL. Today, she continues to honor him through raiseRED, the foundation and the bracelet he once wore that she now keeps with her every day.

“We just try to keep doing good in his name,” Lasher said.

And she does.

Watch the video:

Want to participate in raiseRED? or .

Updated Feb. 23, 2026

These are the ingredients that make up raiseRED, the University of Louisville’s largest student-run philanthropy that has raised over $4.7 million for pediatric cancer and blood disorders research and patient support since 2013.

“Fight Like a Kid” is the theme of this year’s raiseRED, which will be held Friday through Saturday, Feb. 23-24, at the Swain Student Activities Center Ballroom.

raiseRED is a dance marathon that benefits UofL’s Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology and the Norton Children’s Cancer Institute outpatient clinic. Participants raise a minimum of $200 per person to participate, with many raising even more.

“Every dollar fundraised for raiseRED goes directly to either research for pediatric oncology or to the patients themselves,” Emilia Perez, a UofL student who was diagnosed with lymphoma in high school, said. “Everything we raise is going to benefit someone personally.”

The event kicks off at 6 p.m., Friday, Feb. 23, and culminates with the big reveal of total dollars raised at the Community Celebration from 10:30 a.m.-noon, Saturday, Feb. 24.

In between, students will kick up their heels. To keep up their spirits – and help keep their eyes open – several mini-themed events are held during raiseRED. Among them are:

• Buzz for the Cure: A long-standing raiseRED tradition, students pledge to shave their head, or do a major chop, during the dance marathon if they reach their fundraising goal.
• Angel Hour: The people in participants’ lives who have been impacted by cancer and blood disorders are recognized and remembered.��
• Mail Call: Letters of support from participants’ loved ones are read to cheer them on.
• Silent Disco: The speaker system goes silent and participants wear headphones to hear and dance to music only they can hear.

It’s the cause of helping others battling cancer and giving second chances that is the core of the effort, said Sophie Doszak, a junior at UofL.

Doszak was swabbed by the during raiseRED in 2022 and received the call last year that she had matched with a leukemia patient.��

“I would not have donated without raiseRED,” Doszak said. “Seeing the impact that you can have on someone’s life made me wish I had gotten on the donor list a long time ago. Most of the time it takes years to finally match with someone, and I was lucky enough to match with someone and give my gift of life to someone who needed another chance at life.”

The event will be beginning at 6 p.m. Friday. For information and to donate,

Their collective purpose is singular: raise as much money as possible to fight pediatric cancer and blood disorders. They’re hopeful to beat $682,483, the record-breaking amount collected last year. ����

While their passion is palpable, it all means even more to UofL sophomore Tessa Nielsen. This December, Nielsen celebrated 15 years of being cancer free.

When she was three, she was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma��(RMS), a rare cancer that forms in soft tissue. She underwent several surgeries and 46 weeks of chemotherapy. She remembers fragments of it, especially the more traumatic moments. And, she recalls going to theme parks in Orlando, Florida, through the Make-A-Wish program.

Now, as a cancer-free college student, she wants to give back so that no children have to undergo a similar experience.��

“I feel like I’m more motivated because I know exactly what the kids are going through and I wouldn’t want anyone to have to go through that if we could prevent it,” she said.

Nielsen still does yearly check-ups at UofL’s clinic where they monitor her health. She knows first-hand the compassionate care patients receive there.

Nielsen transferred to UofL this fall, after attending another state school last year and deciding that being back in Louisville, where she’s from, was a better fit.

“It was absolutely the right decision. I love it here,” she said.

When she transferred, she immediately became excited at the prospect of being involved with raiseRED. She signed up as a dancer and plans to speak at the event. She had spoken at the marathon before when she was a student at Assumption High School and knew how fun and full of energy it is.

“I think it is absolutely fantastic all these students can raise this much money,” she said. “And not all of them even have a personal reason to do it. It’s always so much money, it blows my mind.”

She encouraged everyone to get involved and to join the Community Celebration, Saturday, 10:15 a.m. to noon, which culminates in the grand reveal of the total number of dollars raised.

“Think about all the kids who have to go through chemo or have blood disorders and give to a classmate or a friend,” she said.

The last song was mix of some of the hits they’d listened to during the raiseRED Dance Marathon, Friday and Saturday, in the SAC Multipurpose Room.

As the words “I’m gonna stand by you” from Rachel Platten blared from the speakers, raiseRED’s executive board unveiled the total amount raised number by number on poster boards: $459,402.50.

The crowd erupted. On stage, raiseRED’s executive board hugged, cried and pumped their fists in the air, celebrating a year of hard work.

The 2017 total is the most the group has ever raised. More than 1,100 dancers, also a record, participated in the marathon. Each dancer committed to raise at least $100 to participate.

“I thank you for believing in our mission and giving hope to these families,” said Ellie Romes, operations director for raiseRed.

Money goes directly to support pediatric cancer research and care at the University of Louisville. As the students celebrated their success, Ashok Raj, MD, stood not far away in awe of the students, admiring their “selflessness, compassion and love.”

Raj, UofL’s interim chief, division of pediatric hematology and oncology, went on to explain,”We had 78 families last year that heard those four��dreaded words: your child has cancer.”

The money raised from raiseRED can have a huge impact on young patients and their families. Money from the fundraiser has helped fund research on cancer vaccines, as well as provided clinical improvements to support families, including a full-time social worker.

Raj arrived at around 8 a.m. Saturday to cheer the students on and let them know he stood with them. He said he would never be able to find the right words to thank them for their service.

“This just makes you feel like humanity still exists,” Raj said.

The marathon kicked off at 6 p.m. Friday. Throughout the night, dancers heard words of encouragement from those impacted by pediatric cancer. It was also fun, though, with themed-hours like a “Rave Hour,” “Hakuna Matata,” and “2 Legit 2 Sit.”

Supporters also stopped by, including interim President Greg Postel, Louie the Cardinal Bird, UofL student athletes, The Kentucky Derby Festival Princesses and even some Disney Princesses.

Leigha Moore, a sophomore from Union, stood not far from the stage after the final announcement, exhausted, but joyful. She’s danced in the marathon for four years, and each year, sees the amount raised beat the previous year.

She started dancing because she’s known people touched by cancer.

And though the 18-hour marathon takes it’s toll on her, she said it was worth it to be able to step up and help families and the community.

“It’s really emotional to see this total,” Moore said.

‘Running Man’ joins the cause

Connor Jackson, an engineering student from Mt. Sterling, could hear some of the students from back of the room. He was not among the dancers – he instead spent a good portion of the evening on a treadmill, running to support the fight against pediatric cancer.

Whenever he stepped off of the treadmill, another student hopped on to keep the treadmill going. In all, students ran 193 miles. Jackson ran 52.4 – the equivalent of two marathons – on his own. His friend, Alex Lavesque, a Bowling Green sophomore, ran 20.2 miles.

Jackson, dubbed “Running Man” for the night, said the dancers and families stopped by to offer support. And from the stage, he could hear some of the stories from families who had been impacted by raiseRED.

“Some of the stories got me misty-eyed,” he said.

raiseRED is continuing to take donations online at raisered.org. .��