Think Pink
October 15, 2009 09:14 AM | General
October 14, 2009
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - As summer slowly fades into fall and the leaves begin to change, the month of October can be seen through the rustic colors of red, orange and gold. It is what makes fall so beautiful and it is what most of us think about when October comes to mind.
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| Linda and Abby Monson
Submitted photo |
However, there is another color that is important this month – pink. Pink may not be a color typically associated with fall, but it is one that embodies a message of strength, hope and awareness.
It signifies breast cancer awareness month – an entire month devoted to the awareness and early detection of breast cancer, an illness that affects hundreds of thousands across the globe each year.
West Virginia University has joined the fight against breast cancer by holding pink athletic events throughout the month, and for two members of the WVU volleyball team, it is an issue that hits very close to home.
This weekend as the Mountaineers hold their own “Think Pink” match for breast cancer awareness against Notre Dame on Sunday, Oct. 18, senior outside hitter Kristina Gallahan and sophomore middle blocker Abby Monson are sharing the importance of this month and this match with their mothers, both of whom are courageously battling breast cancer.
“I was in middle school the first time my mom found out she had breast cancer, it was January 2,” Monson remembered. “I immediately started crying because I didn’t know how to react at first and it didn’t seem real-life.”
Despite her situation, Monson and her family didn’t let it slow them down - it only brought them closer together. As a 6-foot-2 powerful force at the net, Abby, a Centennial, Colo., resident, was able to follow her dreams of playing collegiate volleyball as she traveled more than 1,000 miles to Morgantown.
Earlier this fall Monson returned home - this time with her second family - as the Mountaineers competed in the Denver Invitational. There, she was greeted by family and friends as she tallied two-set ending kills, one of which culminated in a Mountaineer victory over Southern Utah. Sitting in the stands watching Abby was her mother Linda.
“It was great that our team went to Denver for a tournament this season,” Monson said. “I was so excited when I got to go in for the last few points because I knew my family and friends were all there to see me. It was a huge motivator. Not only did I want to play for me, my team and for my coaches, but everyone who was there, and it was fun.”
Through her mom’s battle Monson has looked up to her and everything she has accomplished. From that, Abby has found her own strength. It is a feat in its own to deal with the illness, but in Monson’s words, her mom has handled it like a champ.
“She is a rock star,” said Abby. “Even with her situation, she still does everything. She still works full-time, volunteers at my brother and sister’s schools and goes to all of their plays, practices and sporting events. Then, she still flies out every opportunity she gets to see me play.
“She hasn’t stopped her life at all,” Monson said. “She is my biggest hero. She has taught me that you have to keep going and that you have to have trust in God. She has always been a really big inspiration in my life, spiritually. But ever since any of this has happened, she has taught me that she is a big part of my life.”
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| Roxanne and Kristina Gallahan
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Gallahan also knows the struggles that one deals with when someone they love is affected by breast cancer. Her mother’s diagnosis came recently.
“I was a sophomore when my mom found out she had breast cancer,” the Mooresville, N.C., native remembered. “She was really faithful through the entire thing and she knew whatever happened, was going to happen. I think she thought the whole time that she was going to be fine and she would get through it. I think that was really strong of her and it made me be OK with it.”
Gallahan has also stayed strong as a consistent force for the WVU volleyball team. Last weekend, she led the Mountaineers in their 1-1 showing with 20 kills for a .288 hitting percentage, while also posting 10 digs and a team-high four service aces.
With the season more than half way over, each is working to help their team move up the Big East standings despite the underlying situations of the battles their families have gone through.
And while Gallahan and Monson are each focused on the battles on the court, this weekend they will be fighting for just a little more.
“When Coach told us that our breast cancer awareness match was on Oct. 18, I knew right then my mom was going to be here and that it would mean the world to me and the world to her to know that everyone is here not just supporting her but everyone who has breast cancer. It is important that people are fighting for a cure,” Monson said. “My great-grandmother, grandmother and my mom have had it, so I know it runs in the family and it is a scary thing. But as long as people keep fighting, future generations won’t have to have it.”
This weekend and for the remainder of October, help the Mountaineers recognize breast cancer awareness month in hopes that one day a cure will be found and future generations will not have the burden others have had to carry.
“October is definitely a significant month for me - especially with my mom going through this and Abby’s mom as well. Every time I see breast cancer awareness stuff, I think that it is for my mom - my mom did that,” Gallahan said. “It is also for all of the other women that are going through the same situation. I love that we are having a breast cancer awareness match, because it is still affecting so many women and so many people out there.”
