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'Volley for the Cure' honors cancer survivors
(by Sue Hoffman - October 13, 2011)
'Volley for the Cure' honors cancer survivors
By SUE HOFFMAN
The Comets girls' volleyball teams will be honoring staff members who are breast cancer survivors and raising funds to save more lives at the home games Thursday (Oct. 13).
They are hosting "Volley for the Cure," a fundraiser for Susan G. Komen for the Cure. All the team members will be wearing pink T-shirts to raise awareness as well as funds to eradicate breast cancer.
Volley for the Cure is a way of showing their respect to those fighting cancer, varsity team senior Maddy Voigt said.
"We want to find a cure," she said. "A lot of people I know and don't know have had cancer." Among those she knows are her grandmother and a friend's sister. "Because of my friend's sister, we started a Relay for Life team called the 'Wild Thaangs' about five years ago and we walk each year." Volley for the Cure is another effort to raise funds to combat cancer, she said.
The varsity game against Elyria begins at 7 p.m. in the main gym at Solon High School. Team members will be selling blue Susan G. Komen T-shirts at the door for $10, which includes admission to the game and a donation. The event will include a 50/50 raffle, raffle baskets and bake sale.
One of the most touching moments will be the "survivors' ceremony," honoring women from the school community who are breast cancer survivors. Each will receive a pink rose. Among them are Davara Potel, who chairs the foreign language department, and Anne Johns, who chairs the guidance department.
Mrs. Potel had breast cancer five years ago. "We caught it early, picking it up thanks to a mammogram," she said.
That was the second time she had cancer. The first was a melanoma, discovered years earlier. "I was only 31 years old and had a brand new baby at home," she said.
Mrs. Potel said Volley for the Cure helps raise awareness of cancer and the need for regular checkups, which are so important. With early detection, she said, "life goes on 110 percent." Shortly after her diagnosis of breast cancer, she took up running and has since completed six half-marathons.
Another longtime runner and a cross-country coach, Mrs. Johns had the top speed among survivors at the recent Race for the Cure in downtown Cleveland. Mrs. Johns, whose sisters are also breast cancer survivors, said she ran the 3.1 miles in under 24 minutes.
"I'm a four-year survivor," she said. "I'm so appreciative of Volley for the Cure because it draws attention and awareness to breast cancer. Hopefully, it will lead to screening and early detection, then treatment."
Mrs. Johns, who underwent treatment with a few other staff members at that time, said she appreciated all the support she received from the staff and community.
Mrs. Potel and Mrs. Johns were honored at a similar Volley for the Cure event in 2007.
"It made the whole night," coach Melissa FitzGerald said, recalling the ceremony.
Like her teammates, Katy Dula, a junior, sees so many benefits to Volley for the Cure. "It brings two teams together for a common cause," she said. The Comets team supported Elyria's Volley for the Cure event recently. "Now they're coming to support us."
Team member Christine Anton, a junior, said everyone's heart is in the event. "I know a lot of people who have friends or family members with cancer. I see the toll it takes."
In addition to the fundraiser, the game will have a festive atmosphere because it's senior night, Mrs. FitzGerald said. Seniors will be recognized and the band will play.
T-shirts will also be sold at the freshman game at 4:30 p.m. and junior varsity game at 5:30 p.m.
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