The ASU women's basketball team will be participating in a walk titled "Making strides against breast cancer" with the American Cancer Society on Nov. 17 at Tempe Beach Park to raise $460,000 to help the victims of this disease.
One out of every eight women in their lifetime will be diagnosed with breast cancer, according to recent statistics from the Susan G. Komen Foundation. The disease is the leading cause of cancer deaths among American women.
October was breast cancer awareness month and the women's basketball team participated in the Komen Race for the Cure on Oct. 14.
Other than the support walk, the Nov. 17 the fund-raising event will also include three games:
•ASU men's basketball team vs. Stephen F. Austin State University at 11:30 a.m.
•ASU women's basketball home opener vs. Saint Peter's College at 2:30 p.m.
•ASU women's volleyball vs. University of California at 7:30 p.m.
Head coach Charli Turner Thorne said she wanted to incorporate breast cancer awareness to help publicize their team with an important cause.
"We feel that since we are a women's basketball team, we not only have the opportunity but also the commitment to help the community with an applicable cause," Thorne said.
Thorne said that she and her team feel a strong commitment to help the victims of breast cancer as nearly all their team members know someone who has been a victim or been touched by this disease at a personal level.
"I think our family and health is what we should value the most and lots of times people just take their health for granted and they do not bother about taking the necessary steps to avoid risks," she added.
Statistics reveal all women to be at a potentially high risk for breast cancer, which can be affected by their family history or factors like excessive drinking, smoking and obesity. The figures also reveal that even though the risk factor lies more with older women between the ages of 40 to 59, increasingly younger women are succumbing to the disease as well.
Thorne highlighted this factor as an important one to try and raise awareness among college students as well.
Thorne felt that it was important that they try to bring more attention to women all over who may be at risk by making them more aware about the issue.
Carrie Shiverdecker, director of operations of ASU women's basketball and a team leader for the Nov. 17 walk with the American Cancer Society, said the best part of their involvement was receiving support from the ASU Athletics department.
"The women and the team here are really the vehicle to get the information about breast cancer awareness out to the people," Shiverdecker said.
Reach Vedatrayee C. Banerjee at
ctitam@hotmail.com.
