JEN GURECKIS was planning to go for a walk Saturday. Sounds simple, but two years ago it would have been anything but.

Gureckis was playing basketball for St. Anselm College at the time, a junior guard out of Nashua who was a key member of the team's rebuilding program. Gureckis was one of those athletes who could run all day.

Then, right before Christmas in 2010, she found out she had a brain tumor, and everything in her life — even a simple thing like going for a walk — didn't seem so simple anymore.

Gureckis had to endure months of treatments, including chemotherapy. She said her great physical condition from playing basketball and working out helped her get through the process.

Now 23, Gureckis has gone on to graduate from St. Anselm with a degree in biology and is working as a licensed nursing assistant at St. Joseph Hospital in Nashua. She has even gone back to St. A and played in the alumni basketball game.

One of the lucky ones, Gureckis walked Saturday in the National Brain Tumor Society's Boston Brain Tumor Walk to help the ones who aren't so lucky. It was the second time she took part in the event.

“Now that it has happened to me, I can see it everywhere,” Gureckis said.

According to the NBTS, about 210,000 people in this country are diagnosed with some type of brain tumor every year. It is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among people under 20. The effects on those who survive can sometimes be dreadful, affecting every part of a person's life.

More than 2,500 walkers raised close to $700,000 last year through the Boston Brain Tumor Walk (www.braintumorcommunity.org), generating funds used for research. Gureckis was hoping to raise $5,000 for Saturday's 5K walk at Carson Beach. Donations can still be made in her name.

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JACK CHRISTIANSON is the newest member of the Rivier College men's basketball team in Nashua.

He's a little on the short side, but what can you expect from a 6-year-old?

Christianson, who lives in Nashua, was adopted by the team as part of Team IMPACT, a nonprofit organization that partners college teams and children with life-threatening illnesses.

Team IMPACT is similar to the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation, which we were introduced to last year after it paired Nathan Potvin, a 12-year-old hockey player from Hooksett, with the Harvard men's hockey team.

Count St. Anselm, Franklin Pierce, the University of New Hampshire and Southern New Hampshire among the institutions in this state that have taken part in either or both of the programs.

Jack, who has Down syndrome and was diagnosed with leukemia, was introduced at a press conference attended by more than 100 people at Muldoon Gymnasium last week.

Jack will be with the team for its first home game on Saturday, Nov. 16, when the Raiders host Sarah Lawrence College in the first game of the Rivier/Coca-Cola Tip-Off Classic.

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THE STORY of the Watoto Children's Choir goes beyond its members' ability to sing.

The choir, on a five-month tour along the eastern side of the United States, will be making its only appearance in New Hampshire tonight at 6 at the First Assembly of God Church in Auburn. The show is free and open to the public.

Every member of the choir has lost at least one parent and lives in the Watoto Children's Villages, founded in Uganda. The choir first traveled internationally in 1994 to help advocate for the millions of children in Africa who have been “orphaned as a result of HIV/AIDS, war, poverty and disease.”

This year's performance, which is a mix of stories, music and dance, is titled “Beautiful Africa: A New Generation.”

jfennell@unionleader.com