Women athletes 'Face Off' Against Cancer

Author: Kelly Janis

When Liz Cronin was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1999, her teammates on the Middlebury Otters were not content to relegate the matter to the figurative sidelines. Members of the women's community hockey team decided to transfer their energy from the puck to a cause which now affected them more poignantly than ever.

"When Liz was in the recovery phase and ready to play again, she was sitting on the bench with her bald head, and somebody was saying, 'oh, we should have a tournament. We always go to tournaments. We should have our own tournament,'" explained Chris Newkirk, a player on the Otters' sister team and co-host, the Middlebury Mystix, who became involved with the tournament three years ago. "And somebody else said, 'well, let's make it for breast cancer and support Liz.' And it just kind of snowballed from there."

Cronin, still an avid hockey player, was front and center at the Ninth Annual "Face Off Against Breast Cancer," held on Jan. 26 and 27 at the Howard Brush Memorial Sports Center in Middlebury. Teams from across the state - including the Burlington Ice Breakers, Rutland Cutting Edge, the Burlington Green Mountain Thunder, the Waterbury Wicked, the Morrisville Motley Crew and the Manchester Rusty Blades - joined the local women in games in both the competitive and recreational divisions, as well as a newly added "Family and Friends" division which allowed men and children to take their turn on the ice.

This year's tournament emblemized the extent to which the undertaking has blossomed as the years have elapsed.

"The first year, we raised $2,000," Cronin said. "Last year, we raised $20,000. This year, we're going to raise even more."

Indeed, by Sunday evening, organizers had already exceeded their fundraising goal of $25,000, raking in an estimated $26,105.

"I'm amazed that it's come this far," Cronin said.

Newkirk attributes much of the tournament's success to the widespread relevance of the cause it supports.

"Breast cancer touches everybody," she said. "It's so endemic. So many people have it now. We have survivors on our own team."

This being the case, while members of other teams may be cast as the Otters' and Mystix's opponents on the ice, they lend support and enthusiasm to their efforts off of it.

"It's nice to get to play and support a really nice cause at the same time," said Amy Jamieson, captain of the Waterbury Wicked, the reigning champion in the recreational division. "There's certainly a spirit of competitiveness, but it's a healthy one. We're all here to have fun."

Joining in the fun is a strong contingent of members of the College community. The Otters and Mystix rosters include Hannah Babcock '09, Emily Burleigh '10, Ali Glassie '08, Abby Mayer '09, Celey Schumer '09, Associate Dean of the College and Director of Public Safety Lisa Boudah, Public Safety officer Amy Buck, Health Center staff nurse Sally Carver, Assistant Director for Career Services Office Marketing and Events Manager Tracy Himmel Isham, Marketing Manager of the Mahaney Center for the Arts Liza Sacheli Lloyd, Associate Director for International Admissions Barbara Marlow and Field House Associate Equipment Manager Shelley Payne.

A number of these individuals and their fans turned out for the weekend event, whose proceeds benefit the Cancer Patient Support Program - a free and comprehensive support service established by cancer survivors and others affected by the disease in order to provide psychological and nutritional counseling, educational resources and referrals to other agencies to cancer patients across the state of Vermont.

Guest speaker Carol Vallett, Dean of Continuing Education at the University of Vermont, attested personally to the value of the program.

"I remember last year, about this time, reading an article in the Burlington Free Press about the hockey tournament, and about Liz's story, and thinking two things," Vallett said. "The first was that I had no idea there were so many women who played hockey - enough that you could actually have a tournament. A two day tournament! And the other was, another person with breast cancer. Every time you pick up the paper, there's an article about someone with breast cancer. It's like, what, does everyone have this? And then about two weeks later, during the Valentine's snowstorm, I got a phone call saying, 'you know the biopsy on that lump? Well, it's cancer.' The university was closed that day, and I was home. And I thought, my life is never going to be the same. And it was true."

Vallett recalled her first visit to a surgical oncologist, during which she received a shawl, a book on becoming a cancer survivor and a red folder containing material from the Cancer Patient Support Program. She placed the latter item aside.

"I thought, I'm really strong, and I'm not going to use those services," Vallett said. "I'm not going to worry about that."

Sixty-eight visits to Fletcher Allen Health Care and seven weeks of radiation later, Vallett's son commented that she was no longer herself. It was then that she changed her mind, and took the folder off the shelf.

"It's one thing to be treated physically," Vallett said. "But it's another thing to learn how to heal and move on from there."

Cronin was moved by Vallett's story. "To have people come and talk about the fact that they use this fund that we put money towards is amazing," she said.

The program also offers an emergency fund for patients in financial crisis as a result of their illness. Such is a circumstance which, according to Vallett, is unfortunately common. For those on a fixed income, or without health insurance or a stable job, paying for childcare, co-pays and trips to treatment amid staggering gas prices can be too much to endure.

"They'll recover," Vallett said. "They'll get better. But they can't lose their home in the meantime."

It is with this fact in mind that the program doled out approximately $12,000 to patients in the month of December alone.

"What we're doing is creating a safety net for people who have no other resource," said the Cancer Patient Support Program's Vice President for Development Loretta Muss. "You have no idea what this tournament means to cancer patients in your state."

Monetary donations associated with the tournament are still being accepted. Contributions may be mailed to the organization's secretary, Cathy Chase, at 5 Ledgewood Court, Middlebury, Vt., 05753.