Cancer battle starts small

Published 3:15 am Wednesday, November 4, 2009

It doesn’t care about age or race or gender. It is oblivious to wealth or social background or educational level. In fact, this killer affects everyone.

Cancer is a constant in the lives of almost every human being, with the deadly disease affecting a friend or loved one of nearly every person on the planet.

But a group of South Point youth and volunteers are hitting back. Well, kicking back to be precise.

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This weekend, the South Point Youth Soccer League will host the second annual “Kickin’ for a Cure.” All proceeds from the event will go toward breast cancer awareness efforts and research.

The event kicks off with Family Fun Night on Friday at the old South Point High School gym from 5:30 to 10 p.m. There will be a variety of activities including live bands, inflatables, a climbing wall and dunking booth.

T-shirts will be sold with 100 percent of the profits going to breast cancer research. There will also be a raffle with some great prizes.

Then on Saturday and Sunday the actual games begin at the South Point Little League Field.

All this is for the worthy cause of battling a deadly disease.

Breast cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death for most women. In 2005, more than 41,000 women died of breast cancer and more than 300 men, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

While treatments for breast and other types of cancer have improved, the reality is that finding a cure won’t be easy and it certainly won’t be cheap.

Small, grass-roots efforts like this are an important part of the process. It is safe to say much of the progress made in recent decades owes a debt of gratitude to events like the Relay for Life, Kickin’ for a Cure and others.

Cancer may affect us all in one way or another. And that means we can all fight back.