Pink out Memorial Stadium
Published 1:36 am Friday, October 15, 2010
Urging parents and students to wear pink to Friday night's football game at Memorial Stadium to raise awareness of breast cancer are survivors, from the left, Tammy Maul, Wanda McCall, Tanya Miles and Karol Purdie. The ball game begins at 7 p.m. -- Larua Fenton photo
When the Selma High School Saints break through the banner and look to the crowd, every fan will be dressed in pink clothing.
“If you want to support Selma, wear pink,” said Leroy Miles, Selma High School football head coach.
The team and coaches will wear stickers with a pink ribbon to support National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
“I went to my husband, Coach Miles, and I asked if the boys could [dress] up in pink and he told me no way,” said Tanya Miles, principal at B.K. Craig Elementary. “So my brain went to thinking and I thought of asking the Saints fans to come to the game and wear pink.”
Coupling Selma High with Breast Cancer Awareness Month was a “no brainer” for Coach Miles because he and the school have personal connections with the disease.
Principal Wanda McCall is a one-year survivor, marking her first anniversary on Oct. 8. She believes strongly in education of young adults about the disease.
“I tell the kids, even though I made it back, it could be your momma, your sister, your somebody, so you need to be aware,” McCall said. “We just want to make sure everyone is aware. They need to be checked, go have a mammograms and don’t be afraid to do the self-examinations.”
Tanya Miles has three sisters to have breast cancer, two of which are survivors and one who died from the disease, and discovered she had the trait for the cancer as well.
In a proactive move, she had a double mastectomy and total reconstruction which lowered her chance of breast cancer from about 98 percent to about 2 percent.
“My thought is that if God gave me that information, he intended me to do something with it,” Tanya Miles said. “He intended for people to be able to look at me and know that it will be OK. I had to do it for my nieces and two daughters. They needed to know that if, God forbid, they have this gene, there are options.”
Cheerleaders and members of the band will also wear pink ribbons and volunteers will pass out breast cancer early detection information.
“Cancer has touched Selma High School family, so this is something that’s dear to their hearts.” Tanya Miles said. “We’re hoping this is something we can start and can continue to be a tradition.”
