Starting in mid-October, Northwest High School dedicates a week to cancer awareness. Raising awareness creates opportunities for funding research and early detection. Detecting cancer in its earlier stages can get doctors to help slow the spread and treat it with more effective and less invasive treatment.
Throughout the week, students and staff in all buildings district-wide can make donations in designated locations for the Henry Ford Cancer Patient Fund. To donate, go to Henry Ford Jackson Main Donations, select “Direct My Gift To,” and then select “Henry Ford Jackson-Patient Immediate Needs-Cancer.”
Holding conventions such as fundraising events, online donations, text-to-give, crowdfunding, and more can support researchers in continuing their ongoing research to find treatments, as well as help to improve patient care, and expand access to good-quality treatments.
Aside from donations in honor of cancer survivors/fighters, ribbons were placed outside Mrs. Hade’s class, room 106, for students to make ribbons to support the survivors and fighters in their lives.
Wednesday, October 16th NWHS volleyball teams honored cancer fighters and survivors with events between freshman, JV, and varsity games at NWHS. Representatives from the Henry Ford Cancer Patient Fund were at the ceremonies to collect donations made at the games where players participate in the Warrior Walk.
Volleyball player Isabelle Gibson explains the Warrior Walk.
“Volleyball players pick someone in their family or friend who had cancer and they walk down the net so they can get honored basically for what cancer they had either they were a survivor or someone who died and if it was someone who died to cancer they walked with a family member of that person,” said Gibson.
Volleyball is not the only sports team honoring cancer survivors and fighters. Varsity Cheerleading sold face tattoos for $2 each at one of the JV football games. All profits made are donated to the Henry Ford (Allegiance Health) Cancer Patient Fund.
JV cheerleader Kenzey Clark explained the varsity cheer decided that to support cancer they would sell these face stickers while JV and Varsity football teams held a pink-out game. A pink-out football game is where football players will wear visible pink somewhere on them for example pink socks, long-sleeve pink undershirts, or pink arm sleeves.
Madeleine Cargile, a reporter from Buzz News, posted an article explaining why pink-out games were made. Pink-out football games were first made to spread awareness of breast cancer, their main goal was to promote medication and awareness of cancer to help people fight the disease, How pink-out games came to be. After the first pink-out game schools all around began holding these games to continue showing support to those with cancer.
October 18th is Northwest High School district-wide cancer awareness day. On that day, students will wear colored shirts based on the fight they want to represent. For example, a student will wear pink to support the fighters and survivors of breast cancer.
“It is important to know, learn about, and understand cancer because it can genuinely save lives, and if you know about it you can go get tested along with your loved ones and it can save you or your family members from losing each other or other people,” said Clark.