“Playing For The Cure”

“The Best Protection Is Early Detection.”

“Pink Ribbon Strong.”

“Feel For Lumps. Save Your Bumps.”

Slogans promoting breast cancer awareness have become increasingly popular over the years. Severna Park High School field hockey players showed their support for breast cancer patients and survivors not only with catchphrases but also by donning pink socks, glitter and hair bows during varsity and JV games against Southern High School on October 9.

The Falcons often host dedication games, including “Playing for the Cure” fundraisers during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but this one was special. Several girls were playing for their moms.

On the JV team, sophomores Millie Evans, Elle LaBrier and Addison Tetrault paid tribute to their moms, who are breast cancer survivors. Another sophomore field hockey athlete, Lucy Knoepfle, also has a mom who has battled the disease.

“It means a lot because cancer is something hard to go through, and especially seeing your mom go through it, it changes your whole perspective about everything that people go through,” Addison said. “Being able to play for her was really nice because I know it meant a lot to her.”

Breast cancer accounts for about 30% of all female cancers each year, according to the American Cancer Society. One in eight women is diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime.

With encouragement from Lucy’s mom, varsity field hockey player Kate Edwards spearheaded the effort to pair this year’s dedication game with awareness efforts. The event also supported Leah Marks, a certified reading specialist at Severna Park High School.

“I wanted to do something for both of the teams,” Kate said before her team took the field. “We gave them goodie bags, just to bring up spirits, and pink socks. The biggest thing I had to do was write a speech, which I’ll be giving before our game starts and then just having all the signs and posters made, decorating before the game, so we could get our message out to as many people as possible.”

Signs around the stadium included QR codes for a #LeahStrong GoFundMe campaign that had raised $965 for Marks as of October 24. The girls’ message was simple.

“Part of our message is the importance of early detection and just knowing the signs, getting the screenings,” Kate said. “Since we have had so many people impacted, we want to limit the effects of breast cancer as much as possible.”

Like Addison, her teammates feel strongly about the cause.

“It’s definitely really important to play for my mom and the other moms out there because it’s hard to see your mom go through something like that,” Millie said.

Ella agreed, saying, “I think when you see someone you know go through this, it’s more meaningful to play. It’s not a fun thing to go through.”

Addison’s mom, Meridith Tetrault, and Leah Marks can attest to the hardships caused by the cancer. By sharing their stories, they want to help other women.

The Power Of Love And Support

Meridith had no family history of breast cancer and had a normal 3D mammogram in August 2018. The following March, she felt a lump. A biopsy followed and she was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC).

There are several types of breast cancer, with IDC falling under the invasive category, meaning the cancer has the potential to spread.

“I was estrogen positive and HER2 positive, and that means my cancer was feeding off estrogen and HER2,” Meridith said. “It was a fast-moving thing, but treatable.”

Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, or HER2, is a protein that helps cancer cells grow.

Surgeons presented her with options: a lumpectomy, which removes the tumor and surrounding tissue, or a mastectomy, which is used to remove the entire breast.

“I didn’t want to go through this (process) and years later have the cancer return, so I did the double mastectomy and called it a day,” she said.

Meridith endured surgery, followed by 12 weeks of chemotherapy and a year of Herceptin, a therapy treatment. Looking back, she said the journey went “as well as it could have,” and that walking every morning became a key factor in her perseverance.

Her care team included an oncologist and a medical surgeon, Mehran Habibi, at the Johns Hopkins Breast Center. Although Meridith was not worried about her appearance, the doctors wanted her to feel comfortable with the changes to her body.

“I was 43 years old. I had four kids, with two sets of twins,” she explained. “They told me, ‘You’re young. You want to look good and take care of yourself.’ They were more concerned about my mental health and didn’t talk about the cancer much. I understand it now, but I didn’t understand it then. I thought, ‘OK, I’m flat. Who’s going to care?’

“At that moment, it’s overwhelming and it’s a lot,” she said. “The doctors are able to focus you for the long haul to get the treatment you need and to make psychological decisions. They remind you that you still have a lot of life left to live, and they were good about helping me navigate that.”

Marks also received caring guidance, and at 39 years old, she wants women to know that breast cancer affects adults of all ages.

“I am eternally grateful to Dr. Laura Amodei with Bay Radiology in Arnold; she literally saved my life,” Marks said. “Similarly, Dr. Carol Tweed of Maryland Oncology Hematology in Annapolis — another incredible, no-nonsense woman — developed a comprehensive treatment plan for me, from genetics to chemotherapy. Her family is also local.”

Bethany Fish organized a meal train that brought comfort to Marks’ family, while parents of players on the Severna Park High School football team coached by her husband, along with colleagues and the family’s Cape Arthur neighbors, rallied around them. The community even bought her a cleaning service and an air purifier for work while her immune system was compromised.

“Nichole Elaine, owner of Atomic Cupcake Beauty Skin in Severna Park, made me feel beautiful even when I wasn’t feeling like my whole self during treatments,” she added. “I am especially grateful to Sean Kilduff, commissioner of Green Hornets football, who — with the help of Steve Botcher at Rebel Sports — launched the #LeahStrong campaign. Kimberly James LaBrier and Pinked Perspective brought to life the power of love and support. The generosity, kindness and strength of this community carried me through some of the hardest days of my life.”

While undergoing treatment for breast cancer, Marks has continued to teach her students and has been “continually lifted by their empathy, encouragement, and concern and by the care of the Severna Park High School faculty and staff.”

“Following my double mastectomy and lymph node removal, I was blessed to receive a 100% pathological response,” she said. “While radiation may still lie ahead, I am deeply thankful for how far I’ve come.”

No one should endure the fight alone. Meridith belongs to The Breasties, a support group meant for both current patients and survivors. People offer advice and donate items they no longer need.

“Anybody who is diagnosed, I think the biggest thing is don’t go through it alone,” Meridith said. “Reach out to someone who has gone through it or one of the breast cancer groups. No two breast cancer cases are exactly the same from diagnosis to treatment, but there’s always similarities to talk about and relate to.”

As for her daughter Addison and her teammates, it is heartwarming to feel the support.

“In the beginning of September, she had to pick two ribbons for her hair and she said, ‘I want pink and white.’ She’s not a pink-and-white girl,” Meridith said. “It means a lot of people are supporting women and supporting each other in the community, as well as the research and health and wellbeing for women. It makes me proud to see the girls learn and understand that at a young age.”