Cancer Awareness Game Hits Home For Fairfax County Team

Every year, the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology's field hockey teams put aside competition for one day for a cancer awareness charity game. The message truly resonated this year, as the team reflected on their own experiences with the disease.

The Play for the Cure game happened on Oct. 9. At the game the team honored coach, Aubrey Lear, who is in remission from multifocal papillary thyroid carcinoma. They are also mourning the loss of Kelly Brodnik, the younger sister of senior team member Mallory Brodnik. Kelly passed away in September after a two-year battle against osteosarcoma, a type of cancer that mostly affects children and young adults.

"I believe that talking about cancer and raising awareness is super important because most people don’t know anything about cancer until it affects someone they love,” said Mallory Brodnik.

Ahead of the game, TJHSST field hockey seniors raised money for the Prevent Cancer Foundation, an Alexandria-based national nonprofit focusing on cancer prevention and early detection. The team also supported Breast Cancer Awareness Month by wearing pink jerseys and encouraging the crowd to wear pink to their “Pink Outs.”

"We love seeing young people getting involved and rising up to make a difference, and we are so happy to see you emerging as leaders in our community," said Lisa Berry Edwards, the Prevent Cancer Foundation's managing director of external affairs in remarks during the game. "You give me hope for a cancer-free future. Together, we can stop cancer before it starts."

Image via Prevent Cancer Foundation