To view photos of Saturday’s special event, visit the photo gallery at the following link: http://photos.suburbanonesports.com/
FORT WASHINGTON – For Sarah Boyd, Saturday’s ‘Play for the Cure’ event at Upper Dublin was personal.
“I know a lot of teachers and a lot of us are affected by cancer every day,” the Flying Cardinal senior said. “Many teachers have lost their spouses, and some of us have lost our parents.
“This kind of thing makes you want to give back and want to help find a cure for this terrible disease.”
Boyd lost both her father and grandmother to cancer, but she wasn’t the only member of the Upper Dublin field hockey family whose life has been touched by the dreaded disease. Teammate Erin Cummings lost her grandparents to cancer. Brittany Rowley’s aunt is a breast cancer survivor.
Saturday’s game against Cape Henlopen – designated ‘Corners for Cancer’ – was played in honor of Mary Kay Greenwood and all Upper Dublin family members and friends who have battled cancer.Greenwood - the mother of 2007 grad and four-year varsity starter Maura Greenwood - is battling breast cancer. She was recognized prior to the game during a special presentation.
“She is here today to help us bring more awareness,” Upper Dublin coach Heather Boyer said. “Mary Kay’s determination, strength and courage have been an extraordinary example for everyone, and her motto ‘Hope’ is an inspiration for all of us for one day finding a cure.”
For Greenwood, Saturday’s event gave her yet one more reason to have ‘hope.’
“This is incredible,” she said, holding the large bouquet of pink flowers she’d received from the field hockey team. “Knowing somebody is out there doing something like this gives me the strength every day to keep going and fighting.
“Hopefully, it inspires other people to be positive. I think that’s the biggest thing – staying positive.”
For several weeks prior to Saturday’s big event, the Upper Dublin players raised money by soliciting donations from friends and family members, selling t-shirts, making pink ribbons and holding a bake sale. The total raised – all of which will be donated to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation – was approaching $3,000.
“That’s just amazing,” Greenwood said. “That’s the part that is the most inspirational. That they’re out there doing this – it’s incredible.”
Beyond the fundraising, the event also promoted awareness.
“For a lot of people – I don’t think you’re aware until you get it yourself,” Greenwood said. “It’s nice for people to come out and hear what others have to say about it just so they know what to look for themselves.”
Greenwood noted the importance of being your own advocate.
“I had a mammogram a year ago July that was ‘normal,’” she said. “However, 20 percent of breast cancers are not picked up by a mammogram.
“So if I could do one thing to help others, I would have to say that you have to be your own advocate. If you feel something – even though you have been told your mammogram is normal, call the doctor, no matter how silly you feel.
“Early detection is the best medicine, and don’t let them tell you it is nothing. Pursue it until you have peace of mind knowing that you have addressed it.”
The program at Saturday’s game included an Honorary Page listing family and friends who are currently battling cancer or who are cancer survivors. A Memorial Page was dedicated to those who lost their battle with cancer.
“If you look at the list in the program, so many people had relatives with cancer,” Boyd said. “Maura (Greenwood) was such a huge aspect of our team for four years. She did so much to help us, so it was great to give back to her family today.”
That support, according to Mary Kay Greenwood, is not taken for granted.
“I can’t tell you how many people have come out and supported me and my family,” she said. “It’s amazing. I think it’s most incredible for my daughter Maura to feel the support of the girls and her coaches, knowing she always has someone she can go talk to.”
The players – who wore pink warm-up t-shirts, pink socks, pink ribbons and played with a pink ball –turned in an inspired performance against Cape Henlopen, staging a heroic comeback and rallying from a 3-1 deficit with four minutes remaining to knot the score 3-3.
“We talked about it at the beginning of the game, ‘You’re not just playing for Upper Dublin, you’re playing for everybody in that program, you’re playing for Mary Kay Greenwood. It’s not about yourselves today. It’s about everybody who’s battling something a lot tougher than any opponent we’ll ever see on the field,’” Boyer said. “They understood the message.”
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