This past Saturday (Oct 12), the St. John Fisher women's soccer team began what they hope will become a yearly tradition, holding the first-ever Pancreatic Cancer Soccer Game in memory of Mike McCabe, the late brother of head coach
Jill McCabe, who passed away from the disease in 2009.
For three weeks prior to Saturday's game against Alfred, the team set up various fundraising tactics to raise money, which would be donated to pancreatic cancer research. On September 29, the team held a pie-the-players fundraiser where parents, family, and friends were given the opportunity to hit any player in the face with a plate full of whipped cream: $5 for a freshman, $10 for sophomores, $15 for juniors, and $20 for seniors. In addition, the team sold purple pancreatic cancer awareness wristbands and ribbons to raise even more funds, along with generous donations from family and friends to support the cause.
The entire planning process and fundraising efforts were carried out in their entirety while being kept secret from Coach McCabe.
On the day of the designated game, the team revealed the secret to Coach McCabe during the pregame locker room talk, moving her to tears. In a pregame ceremony prior to kickoff, team captains -
Katie Burgstrom,
Krista Pilla and Val Hanson -- presented her with a check for $1,500, tripling the original goal of $500, all of which will be donated to the Lustgarten Foundation, a non-profit organization solely dedicated to finding a cure for pancreatic cancer.
During the game, the team also wore purple tape, wristbands, and headbands in memory of Mike and to raise awareness for pancreatic cancer.