sports misc. and cancer

Hi. Here are some sports articles that I've read, which unintentionally have a cancer theme running through some of them. Just a warning, you might want to have tissues handy.

The first article, a good one from this month's Guideposts magazine, is about Packers quarterback Brett Favre's wife Deanna's bought with breast cancer in October 2004. She is currently in remission. I remember when Deanna was diagnosed with it and Brett told her that he was going to retire on the spot in the middle of the season. However, she told him not to, that she would be okay. Brett also said then something like, "You might think I'm tough, but she's the toughest one in this family." Deanna is now raising money to help other women with breast cancer (http://www.deannafavre4hope.com/). Here's the article: http://www.guidepostsmag.com/WEEKLY_FEATURE.ASP?DATE=10/1/2007. Also check here for more (page down some): http://www.guidepostsmag.com/familyroom/October2007/index.asp.

Here's an article about Cardinals 1st baseman Albert Pujols, a Christian, being honored by the Arizona Fall League with the unprecedented "Distinguished Alumni Award" earlier this month for his play in the league in October 2000. He used his success there as a springboard to making the Cardinals the next spring. Here's the article: http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20071010&content_id=2259409&vkey=news_stl&fext=.jsp&c_id=stl (originally found at: http://mlbplayers.mlb.com/pa/news/article.jsp?ymd=20071011&content_id=2260845&vkey=mlbpa_news&fext=.jsp).

Next, a favorite quotation from John Schuerholz, former Braves general manager who was recently promoted to team president, which I thought was good:

Schuerholz's ability to surround himself with top-notch individuals and desire to succeed as a team allowed him to follow the message he constructed in a poem that he often likes to recite.

It reads:

"I" and "my" are words oft used
by those who themselves are confused.
Why won't their super egos trust
the use of words like "we" and "us"?

Here's the article: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20071011&content_id=2261163&vkey=news_atl&fext=.jsp&c_id=atl.

Here's a Christian article about Olympic heptathlete and high jumper Trish Porter from Lee Warren at The Christian Sports Blog: http://christiansportsblog.blogspot.com/2007/10/trish-porter-inspiring-others.html. Here's her website from the article too: http://www.trishporter.com/.

Also, an inspiring poem posted by late IU football coach Terry Hoeppner in the IU football facility. Hoeppner, who died last June from complications from brain cancer, lived out this poem in his fight with cancer:

DON'T QUIT
When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
And the road you're trudging seems all up hill;
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile but you have to sigh;
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.
For life is strange with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns;
But many a coward turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out.
But he learns too late when the night comes down
How close he was to the golden crown.
Victory is defeat turned inside out,
The silver tint of the clouds in doubt,
You will never know how near you are –
It may seem close when it seems afar.
So stick to the fight when you are hardest hit;
It is when things seem worst that you must not quit.

Here's the article: http://collegefootball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=725623 (originally found at: http://apps.facebook.com/sportsuperfan/teams/news/222).

Sticking with IU sports and cancer, an article about the Coaches vs. Cancer Breakfast that IU men's basketball head coach Kelvin Sampson held a week ago Friday to raise money for the American Cancer Society. Several speakers spoke about how cancer had effected their lives. Some of them spoke about former IU sports chaplain Galen Dolby, who passed away the week before the breakfast from kidney cancer. Here's the article: http://iuhoosiers.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/101207aac.html.

Next, a great article that I will warn you ahead of time is a major tear-jerker that you will want to have tissues close by before you read. The article is about four football players and a golfer at Lake Fenton High School in Michigan who were all nominated as candidates for the homecoming king for the homecoming game on October 12th. They got together and decided to throw out the vote and proclaimed sophomore Eli Florence the winner. Florence is dying from leukemia, and doctors have told him there's nothing more that they can do. It's just a matter of time before he dies, basically. The five king candidates decided that they wanted to give him the honor, since they school had been inspired by his fight throughout his illness. They did it as a complete surprise to him. Here's the article (make sure and check out the pictures too, especially #6 where the team joined Florence in prayer at the game): http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=3059155#. The article also included a website that to give updates on Eli's health. I checked it and unfortunately Eli passed away the afternoon of October 14th. Here's a post from his mom the next day: http://z13.invisionfree.com/Help_For_Elijah/index.php?showtopic=319.

Here's an article about Rockies manager Clint Hurdle, a Christian, and his daughter Maddie who has a rare genetic disease, Prader-Willi Syndrome, and has seizures. The article tells about how his daughter's health and his own struggles as a player help him to keep things in perspective and to help out his players. Here's the article: http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=289178.

Lastly, I was watching the IU/Penn State football game earlier today (IU lost :( ), and they talked to former IU runningback and 1989 Heisman trophy runner-up Anthony Thompson. They also mentioned that he's now a local pastor. I just thought that it was neat that they included that part.