RamWire: Basketball Teams Switching Names to Honor Others
University collaborates with UCHealth Cancer Center on Jersey Initiative
Mike Brohard
The ringing of the bell is met by applause.
At the UCHealth Cancer Center, it signifies the ends of chemotherapy treatments for a patient. Naturally, they are encircled by members of the center’s nursing unit, because they’ve all been a supportive and encouraging part of the journey.
A journey. That is how cancer patients and their doctors have come to refer to the process, from initial diagnosis to the hopeful cancer-free designation. For many, the bell signifies an important step. After chemotherapy, patients may still be looking at surgery, even radiation treatments. Even then, some are still waiting for their hair, eyebrows and eyelashes to return. It may take a bit of a spell before their taste buds return to normal, or the neuropathy in their fingers and toes starts to fade.
Everybody is a welcome addition to the journey, start to finish, and over the next few weeks, Colorado State’s men’s and women’s basketball teams are joining the team. They are calling it the Jersey Initiative, as the university works in conjunction with the UCHealth Cancer Center in Fort Collins. When the men host Fresno State on Wednesday for their Coaches vs. Cancer game, the players will be wearing the names of patients on the back of their jerseys. The women will follow suit in their Pink Out game with Wyoming on Feb. 15.
For CSU men’s coach Niko Medved – who on his own initiative for the Colorado game pledged $1 in support for each student who attended – this is a moment of awareness for his program and a chance to offer and generate encouragement for a community which supports them so well.
“I always try to tell these guys basketball is what you do and it’s something you’re really passionate about, but it’s not who you are,” said Medved, who will split the $2,602 raised equally between the American Cancer Society and the UCHealth Cancer Center. “It’s not your life. It’s not life and death. I think it’s always good to be reminded of something bigger than yourself.
“I don’t know anybody who hasn’t been touched by cancer in some form or fashion. We all have people we think about, people we play for. This is a really cool thing, and anytime we can get a dose of perspective in the right way, I think that’s really healthy.”
According the American Cancer Society, 39.66 percent of men will receive the diagnosis in their lifetime, 37.65 for women. While there have been significant advances in success rates over the years, the initial words from a doctor still produce shock. It will be replaced by the natural instinct to fight, but over the course of the journey there will be days – hard days – when doubt will seep into thoughts. It is then the caravan of support is needed most.
Dr. Michelle Tollefson, an OB/GYN who is also a professor at Metropolitan State-Denver, knows the statistics, as well as the facts which suggest a healthier lifestyle can help keep a person off the charts. She developed the first Bachelor of Science Lifestyle Medicine program in the United States for her school. It is offered as a minor now, but will become a major in the fall. This is a path she has long followed herself, so she’s also keenly aware after her diagnosis for breast cancer there are no guarantees.
Her chance to ring the bell is approaching, but she hasn't imagined what emotions will surface.
"I haven’t thought about it yet," Dr. Tollefson said. "Ever since I was diagnosed, I went into what can I do to fight, what can I do to improve my own health."
All paths are as unique as the patients and their treatments. Chemo is a general term, as it represents a myriad of drugs, each with a purpose. In some cases, they are mixed and matched, and infusion schedules can include more than one day a week, successive weeks in a row and can stretch into months, as long as they remain effective.
Naturally, the effects vary as well, and the UCHealth Cancer Center offers a multitude of programs to help those affected, as well as their families, cope with the challenges of treatment. Dieticians are on hand, as are physical therapists, opportunities for massages – anything one can imagine will help during and after treatment, because the effects will linger.
It starts with the oncology nurses at the center, a group which injects hope with each visit. It’s the small things, such as finding a heated chair for patients who tend to get cold, or at least a warm blanket or two. They will sit and chat to find out what new experiences are coming along with treatment, but they also get to know them as the person beyond the patient. Their children, where they work, how many dogs they have, all with comforting smile.
One of them is an alumni, and he told me he was really feeling the extra support. He said, ‘I’m really not alone, my school and my community is supporting me.’ We love the relationship we have with CSU, that together we can create some amazing experiences for families in our community who are going through a really hard time.Kathleen Michie, UCHealth Cancer Center Oncology Service Program Manager
For Kathleen Michie, the oncology service program manager, the jersey initiative is a new and wonderful step.
“I think our focus and our true North has always been the voice of our customer, what’s going to improve the life of our patients,” said Michie, who helped pair players with patients, one of whom is her husband, Kevin. “That’s where it’s been such a blessing to call certain people. Their responses have been, ‘I can’t believe they’d do this for me,’ and, ‘thank you so much for this surprise; this is the best thing that could have happened to me today.’
“One of them is an alumni, and he told me he was really feeling the extra support. “He said, ‘I’m really not alone, my school and my community is supporting me.’ We love the relationship we have with CSU, that together we can create some amazing experiences for families in our community who are going through a really hard time.”
For a player, the name on the back of their jersey means the world. It represents years of hard work and diligence to the game they love, hours of practice, perspiration and passion. The name is theirs, but also belongs to the family they represent.
There is a very personal story behind the name, and it gets woven into the fabric of the one on the front, the university they personify. The pride factor cannot be understated.
In January, Ryun Williams’ women’s team visited the UCHealth Cancer Center and visited with patients. They exchanged stories and learned about each other. It is a group of young women who have all been affected by the disease at some level, but for many, it was the first time they experienced someone in the process of an infusion.
So for one night, senior Andrea Brady has no issue replacing her name and playing for someone else.
“Honestly, I feel really lucky to have the opportunity to do it,” Brady said. “You get to play for somebody else. The visit to the cancer center, that’s an opportunity I’ve never had before, and it makes me really grateful to have the platform we have to honor them.”
On Valentine’s Day, Dr. Tollefson is scheduled to have her final chemotherapy treatment -- her moment to ring the bell. The moment is significant, but her journey will continue. The next day, she will stand on the court at Moby Arena, next to Brady, who will have Dr. Tollefson’s name on her back. It too, could be a very personal moment, but she hopes others understand from her perspective, the gesture is an active representation serving a grander purpose.
“For me, it’s not about my name on the back of the jersey. To me, it represents everyone who has walked this journey as well,” she said. “The idea they are playing for people who have cancer -- all of us. There’s this community, so how do we support one another, how do we increase awareness, how do we help each other through this journey? As a physician, until you get the call and you’re waiting, it’s all really surreal. That’s what this game means to me, that they are raising awareness.”