Breast cancer is an issue that many women deal with and is prevalent in many families. It is a serious and devastating condition that creates more fatigue, joint pain, hair and skin problems, scarring, affects fertility, damages other organs and causes many symptoms of sickness, as well as heavily increasing the risk for death. Due to this, October has become a month to represent a global campaign to raise awareness and support for people affected by breast cancer.
This notion has spread around Bonita Vista High (BVH) and especially within the girls’ field hockey team. The team ordered pink jerseys as well as pink socks with the breast cancer awareness symbol to show support and awareness in the games they play. This choice was made by varsity field hockey Head Coach Sabrina Sanchez.
“We want to bring awareness to women’s health issues. Members of my family have [been impacted] and it is important to show our support and even though it is just the color of the uniform, it changes the symbolism behind it,” Sanchez said.
Breast Cancer Awareness month can be highly beneficial for women’s health and encourages women to increase awareness of their personal health. This allows them to have early detection, early screening and diagnosis. Supporting the issue of breast cancer is important even for BVH teams.
“It is really important because I know it is something that probably everybody on the team has been impacted by family members or friends that have had breast cancer. I think it is really important for everybody to be able to have awareness,” varsity field hockey player and junior Jaslene De Armas.
Many people at BVH have family or have loved ones close to them that are affected by breast cancer, as do people on the Field Hockey team. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide, and the BVH team finds it crucial to support their players in difficult times or have a support system for a difficult experience.
“Personally, I think it is fantastic that we worked with uniforms. My grandmother had breast cancer and I just know going through all of that. What it was like especially not only on her but as family. So just being able to wear pink uniforms like this and show support [is important],” varsity field hockey captain and senior Katelyn Connors said.
Connors explains the importance of doing the most we each can as individuals. When in the game, BVH has been the only team to consistently wear pink socks in every October game. Referees also participate in wearing pink during games to show their support. This adds a sense of unity to the league.
Dark and taboo topics often are not discussed and go ignored, but months like these have been proven and shown to be issues that people care about. With this being the first year that the team has made the uniform change, Sanchez explains that she and the team believes it was something important for them to do.
“It is important because it brings awareness to something that not a lot of people talk about. It is a dark [topic]. It shows support for those who have gone through breast cancer and just knowing that they are not alone. It is just important to support everybody and anybody. That is why I feel it is important for our team to focus on that,” Connors said.
The team will continue to wear pink throughout the month of October, and the entire team is very pleased with the uniforms. They describe it as creating a new tradition and continuing to wear these jersey’s every October.
“We have seen other teams in the league do it in the past, but I have not seen it for a couple of years. I think it looks great and the message [it sends] is great,” Sanchez said.
These uniforms show support, unity and awareness for an important cause that affects numerous women within the BVH community. Whether it is a taboo topic or something a lot of people deal with, the uniform change was important to carry out.
“It just shows support from everybody. It shows us how to be really focused on the game, but at the same time we are showing something bigger. It is a good lesson,” De Armas said.
