High schools hit hard

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Caleb Workman

 

High Schools in the Windsor and Essex County region are continuing to raise awareness for breast cancer.

Throughout the month of October high schools in the area, partnered with the combined efforts of the community, were able to raise close to $20,000. That number is still rising as more money is coming in from six additional schools.

Tami Hawkins is the Windsor and Essex County Secondary School Athletic Association’s Football For a Cure’s coordinator. The 43-year-old Tecumseh Vista Academy physical education teacher is a breast cancer survivor and organizes all school events relating to cancer awareness.

“In September 2009, my husband and I wanted to do something to raise money for local families in need from breast cancer,” said Hawkins. “There were a lot of people who weren’t as lucky as us.”

Hawkins said her and her family put it on themselves to go out and raise money throughout the community for those who didn’t have the coverage and support that they had.

She also said in October of 2009, the founders of football for a cure, herself and Hon. W.C. Kennedy Collegiate Institute, invited the community out to their first ever pink game and walk for breast cancer awareness.

A pink game is when the football players of their respective school dress up in pink equipment and all money collected from the game goes towards breast cancer research. Between the junior and senior football team’s efforts of Kennedy and Riverside Secondary School, and both school’s students and teachers, they raised around $5000.

“After that, the next year we had eight schools that were involved,” said Hawkins. “At that time we decided to start selling the pink silicone wristbands that have become a major resource of income with raising money.”

Hawkins said in 2010, the eight schools raised between $6,000 and $8,000. In September, 2011, 16 schools from the public and catholic school boards decided to join the W.E.C.S.S.A.A. Hawkins said they raised $25,000, $10,000 of that coming from Vista Academy alone. Hawkins said every year since the 16 schools involved have brought in an average of $25,000.

“All the money we raise is split fifty-fifty,” said Hawkins. “Half of the money is for medical and diagnoses equipment and the other half goes towards things like wigs, or televisions for the chemo treatment area that help the patients become comfortable in the sensitive environment.”

Hawkins said she believes it is still important to keep the awareness going for breast cancer.

“During the assembly we have every year I can pick out three students who have lost a parent to breast cancer,” said Hawkins. “Students need to be aware as sort of an empathy piece to know that it is an issue and people suffer from it as the years go by.”

In Canada, it is estimated 24,400 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014, and 500 men will also be diagnosed. Of these women and men, an estimated 5,060 will die.

One patient who was able to detect her symptoms early enough to reverse it, Candace Trealout, just recently finished her chemotherapy treatments.

“I didn’t know that high schools were so involved before this year,” said Trealout. “It’s really good to see that people at such a young age know about the disease and are trying to make a difference by raising awareness.”

Trealout said her cancer was in stage three and she was very lucky she was able to afford the costs of the treatments.

“I think the money being raised should be going towards people who can’t afford the treatments and help them out where they can’t help themselves,” said Trealout.

Together the community and high schools were able to raise enough money to be proud of what they raised and next year it is hoped by the schools that they can top it.