This October, Marriotts Ridge High School is turning pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and many clubs and sports have shown their support. Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women, according to the Centers for Disease Control, with hundreds of thousands of women in the United States being diagnosed each year. Because of the commonality of the disease, the whole month of October is dedicated to breast cancer awareness.
Marriotts Ridge has several clubs devoted to raising awareness and money for cancer research, but the National Breast Cancer Coalition Club focuses on activities centered around breast cancer education.
The club’s mission is to “advocate and educate others on breast cancer issues through the power of education, action, and service-based projects,” according to the club’s Instagram page.
“[We have] meetings dedicated to making cards for breast cancer patients at Howard County General and having members go to the hospital to volunteer at the breast cancer center,” explained senior and the club’s co-president Nora Ewis.
The club stays active year round, but during October, they made bracelets for the Dig Pink Organization, which the volleyball team works with yearly.
Among the things going on at MRHS for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the boys’ soccer team continues their annual pink jersey tradition. Every year for the past three years, the team has ordered pink jerseys to wear during games for the month of October instead of their usual gray and navy uniforms.
For many students, breast cancer interrupts life at home and sometimes takes away a loved one. Breast cancer affects many people worldwide, including students at Marriotts Ridge.
“I have had immediate family who’s had breast cancer in the past, and I just wanted to have a way to get more people involved in helping people with breast cancer or the families of people who have it and spreading awareness,” Ewis said.
Last year, the girls’ lacrosse team dedicated their entire season to star player Maisy Clevenger’s mom, Elizabeth “Ish” Clevenger, who battled breast cancer for roughly three years. To show support, Clevenger’s teammates decided to have a fundraiser game to donate money to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
“[For the game], we hairsprayed our hair pink, we wore “Ish” bands to show appreciation for Maisy’s mom, and we wore pink face paint, pink glitter, and it was just a fun game to support the awareness,” senior Annelise Vetter said.
While it wasn’t the first time the team had done a pink-out game, they made sure to make it the best one yet, purely for the Clevenger family.
“It meant a lot and was definitely an emotional time, so for the people who didn’t know her, it also meant a lot to Maisy and her family that they were there to show that they were supportive. Her mom was the sweetest soul who cared for every one of her children, whether they were hers or not,” Vetter said.
It wasn’t just the lacrosse team who wanted to show support. Senior Reese Holter remembered Clevenger’s time on the field hockey team and how they worked to gain awareness in honor of her mom.
“[The field hockey team] started [working with] Play for the Cure for her mom to raise money for breast cancer awareness and research,” Holter said.
Despite the many families affected by breast cancer yearly, scientists have yet to discover a cure. This is why spreading awareness and amassing support through events like pink-out games and fundraisers are so important.