Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Real men wear pink

2008 Dig for the Cure volleyball match
A few years back a new shirt showed up in the wash during my son’s Thanksgiving break. For a time, it was his absolute favorite shirt. Bright pink it was - inscribed with the words “Honk for Healthy Hooters.”

Wearing pink to raise awareness of breast cancer issues is not a new thing. Little pink ribbons are all the rage, on handbags, lapels, car magnets, etc. For that matter ribbons have come to symbolize many different awareness campaigns, Alzheimer’s (purple), Aids/HIV (red), missing children (yellow) and many, many more.

Beginning Friday night, the five Bluffton fall sports teams - football, volleyball, cross country, men’s and women’s soccer - will do their part to raise awareness of breast cancer issues during “Pink Week.” Each team will wear pink as part of the uniform, such as pink socks, jerseys or helmet stickers.

The volleyball team will raise money for Side-Out Foundation during a "Dig Pink" match with Manchester on Wednesday, Sept. 29. To make a donation toward breast cancer research, medical services and support services, visit Bluffton’s Side-Out page.

The soccer teams will wear pink during a Saturday, Oct. 2, doubleheader versus Transylvania. At halftime of the women’s match, pink roses will be presented to breast cancer survivors in players’ families.

Out of all the various types of cancer – lung, prostrate, colon, skin, ovarian – and other health and societal concerns, isn’t it curious that breast cancer continues to attract this much attention.

Could it be that so many of us have been touched with this disease though our aunts, uncles, mothers, grandmothers and other loved ones, that it is personal? It is something we can relate to, a disease that we can share personal stories about.

Hence we proudly don pink shirts, socks and ribbons in honor and in memory and pray for the day that breast cancer is eradicated.

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