Every year, Brunswick’s Volleyball team holds a fundraising event in October for breast cancer awareness called Dig Pink Night. Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers among females, and it’s the second death-causing cancer globally. October is the official month to give recognition to the survivors and fighters of breast cancer. The players, coaches, and parents help raise money for breast cancer awareness by hosting a home game dedicated to it. Everyone wears pink to show their support, and parents and coaches bring baked goods and make baskets for raffles to raise money. The team decorated the gymnasium in pink decorations along with motivational posters, and each player decorated a paper volleyball with pink and ribbons on it that can be seen hung up outside the gym door.
The volleyball team is a connected community of girls who share their passion for volleyball and are devoted to the team. They are happy to contribute to spreading awareness on breast cancer, and to be able to play their favorite sport while giving recognition to people who are battling cancer and who survived. One of the coaches for the volleyball team, Coach Emily, says, “My favorite part about the event is that the players, parents, and our supporters that come to the game, come together to not only honor and raise money for breast cancer awareness, but support all cancers. That makes me proud to be a part of the community.” The team and coaches believe that this event isn’t to only spread awareness for breast cancer, but for all types of cancer. This year, both the JV and Varsity teams wore bright pink shirts that say, “Dig for a Cure” and the name “Sydney Strong” on the back in school and during warm-up.
Sydney is the name of Cheyenne Thompson’s 10-year-old sister, who is diagnosed with ovarian cancer and just recently finished her last dose of chemotherapy. Before the game, the Varsity players handed out roses to different cancer survivors in the audience to recognize them and their strength. The players then handed Sydney Thompson a bouquet of roses to acknowledge her. Number 15, Cheyenne Thompson, sophomore, on Varsity plays as an Outside Hitter. Thompson said, “My favorite thing about Sydney is how strong she is. She’s been so positive by looking to the next good thing— looking forward to halfway through chemo, the last day of chemo, and other significant times of her journey.”
“Being able to recognize my sister made me feel amazing. She is going through a hard battle, but she isn’t the only one. This can also help for other kids fighting cancer. Spreading awareness is super important to her and our family, to show it is okay and to stay strong through hard times” says Cheyenne. Thompson said that she knew how much this recognition meant to Sydney and her family. It really highlighted how big of a community Sydney has for support, and that she’s not alone in this battle. Furthermore, the Thompson family believes that this event also helped spread awareness for children who are battling all kinds of cancer.
Although the girls unfortunately lost to Frederick High School, what wasn’t lost was spirit and community the BHS Volleyball team had created. Many people came to support the girls and those who were fighting a battle against cancer. The night was filled with gratitude and resilience to stand up to cancer. Sergia Nyambi, senior, said, “I liked giving the roses to survivors and it felt great to honor them.” Also, Melissa Charbonneau, senior, said, “My favorite part of the night was being able to give support to those who have fought or are currently fighting cancer.”