• 10/21/2004
  • Kelly Bothum
  • The Patriot News

Sean O’Donnell wears his yellow wristband in remembrance of three grandparents who died of cancer.

Katie Knoble gave away 20 bracelets for her family and friends to wear as a sign of support for her grandfather battling prostate cancer.

Vince Mascoli feels an added surge of inspiration running cross country while wearing the strip of yellow on his right wrist.

Three reasons, one bracelet, one message.

Live Strong.

With a simple message, cheap price and word-of-mouth appeal, the wristbands have become a fashion must-have in high school classrooms and on college campuses nationwide.

Those who wear the bands — the same color as the jersey worn by Tour de France bicycle race champion Lance Armstrong and imprinted with “Live Strong” — say it’s much more than a trend.

“People don’t have to go to a lot of trouble to wear one, but it shows support,” said Nick Albert, a senior at Central Dauphin High School, where the popular yellow bands can be spotted on the wrists of freshmen and seniors alike.

The wristbands have popped up on the wrists of actors, athletes and ordinary folk since May, when the Lance Armstrong Foundation introduced them to raise money for cancer research, support and education.

Armstrong, who won a record sixth Tour de France this summer, is a seven-year survivor of testicular cancer.

More than 17 million wristbands have been sold, and the demand shows little sign of slowing. Most stores reported selling out during the summer. They are available online at the Lance Armstrong Foundation (www.laf.org). But even there, buyers are warned that orders are backlogged for at least three weeks.

“It used to be you saw them on a couple people, but now they’re everywhere,” said Heather Kelly, 15, who said she has been wearing her bracelet since the beginning of the summer.

Albert got his bracelet from a friend who bought them on the Web. O’Donnell, 18, also a CD senior, received his as a birthday present from his sister. Mascoli, a senior at Cedar Crest High School, said his cross country coach bought the bracelets for the entire team as extra motivation.

It worked.

“Our practices after that started getting better and better,” Mascoli said. “I think it’s kind of a reminder to have a heart of a champion.”

As fashion statements go, the yellow bracelet doesn’t seem much like an accessory of the rich and famous.

A half-inch wide, it looks more like a rubber band than a bracelet. It comes in one color — buttercup yellow. And at a cost of $1, it hardly breaks the piggy bank.

Joshua Champagne was among 32 college students wearing “Live Strong” bands when they biked across the country last summer to raise money for Habitat for Humanity.

When he returned to Brown University this fall, he discovered his campus awash in yellow wristbands. Champagne, 20, a Susquehanna Twp. High School graduate, attributes the popularity to Lance Armstrong and his better-than-Hollywood tale.

“Americans love a good success story,” Champagne said. “In a sense, Armstrong is no different than any cancer survivor. But he’s gone on to be the best in the history of cycling. He’s an incredible athlete. He’s absolutely inspiring.”