Nobody ever wants to be directly affected by cancer.
More often nowadays sporting events will dedicate certain games to raise awareness for a specific cancer.
Now that it's become more routine, we tend to ignore the actual purpose. October is the official month for breast cancer.
Calvary Lutheran volleyball hosted a breast cancer awareness game when it took on Chamois on Thursday, Oct. 1.
But two recent local sports events really caught my attention.
The Blair Oaks softball team hosted a leukemia night last Monday to honor Kim Boessen, the mother of freshman Brooke Boessen. At the time, Kim was preparing to enter her second bone marrow transplant for MDS (pre-leukemia) this past week. Following the transplant, she will undergo two weeks of chemotherapy before having another transplant as she hopes the donor cells kill the cancer.
She was in attendance and was presented funds that had been raised from T-shirt sales and from the cancer awareness game against Jefferson City on Sept. 17.
"This is my second fight for cancer, so hopefully this transplant works this time for my bone marrow," Kim said. "People are so generous with their money, that does come in handy, because I'll be without pay and stuff and I have three girls that play sports. So it does help. But the prayers is what really gives me confidence that God's going to get me through this."
Blair Oaks head coach Sharon Buschjost organized a presentation on the field following a thrilling 3-2 Blair Oaks win over Hickman. Oh, and Brooke scored the game-winning run as a pinch runner in the bottom of the sixth inning.
"It was an amazing bonding moment," she said. "I mean, my kid's a freshman on the varsity team, and for these girls to come out here and to treat her like this, and it's not just because I have cancer, they've all been good to me. ... They're amazing; I couldn't ask for a better coaching staff for my kid, and I couldn't ask for a better team for my daughter to be apart of."
Emotions were high, as there may not have been a dry tear on the field. For Kim, seeing her daughter cry may have been the hardest part.
"When I see Brooke crying on the field it broke my heart because I don't like to see my kids cry," she said. "I don't want my kids to worry about me. Let me get my job done and get cured so mom can be here with you forever. I want them to focus on the field and stuff like that. ... I just want them to be happy."
At last week's Lincoln football game, the Blue Tigers held a special lupus awareness day to honor the memory of Jan Jones, Lincoln head coach Mike Jones' sister, who passed away of the disease in July.
Lupus isn't as well known, so the incentive to get the word out was Jones' objective.
"I made a promise to her and made a promise to my family that we were going to find a cure for Lupus by raising money for it," Jones said. "So, I'm going to do as much as I can and hopefully this right here can help the Lupus foundation get up and running.
"I don't know how many people knew about Lupus prior to this game, but I'm quite sure we got a lot of people aware of Lupus is now, and that's what it's all about - getting the message there."
Prior to the start of the game, the team did a tribute for him presenting the coaching staff with white shirts with purple ribbons. Purple is the color for lupus - which is a chronic disease that can effect any part of the body.
With much of Jones' family in attendance, his niece, Donna Strozier, took center stage and sang an emotional rendition of the national anthem, after a stretched-out moment of silence to honor Jan's memory. You could hear a pin drop.
"My niece sings pretty good," he said, "and as they say, she has some pipes."
Jones said Jan was diagnosed with the disease six years ago. Jan had a lot to live for with eight kids as a single parent and eight brothers and sisters.
Her immune system began to shut down this summer to the point where the family had to make an important decision.
"My sister was a fighter," he said with a pause. "She fought to the end. But she wanted to be at peace."
She moved into her mother's house in Kansas City where the family grew up in for the remaining two weeks of her life.
Jones made the trip to Kansas City after his day's work in Jefferson City.
"We talked and it was a great experience with her for two weeks," Jones said. He also recalled 200 family members to see Jan in her final week.
"I appreciate how she cherished life and how she can make an impact on people's lives, no matter who they were or what they did," Jones said. "Everyone has situations. It's how you deal with those situations. My sister had eight kids and she never felt sorry for herself, and she never had a pity party. She always provided for other people."
In hearing these stories, I consider myself fortunate to never have had to witness a loved one suffer from cancer. But speaking with those that are or have been directly affected by cancer puts perspective on the pain and suffering.
Cancer stinks.
But we can be there for those that are affected or even if it's to contribute a few dollars at a sporting event promoting a similar cause.