Taravella To Host Breast Cancer Fundraiser At Its Oct. 25 Game

The Taravella baseball team will show its support for breast cancer awareness this week with a fundraiser called “Saving Second Base.”

The event will be during the team’s 7 p.m. home game Tuesday against Cardinal Gibbons. The school is charging a $2 admission fee but will gladly accept whatever amount above that fans want to donate. The Trojan Cafe will be open, cooking up hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken sandwiches and more. Mardi Gras beads will be given out to all in attendance. All proceeds from the fundraiser will be donated toward the effort to find a cure for the disease.

The Trojans will be wearing hot pink shoelaces and wristbands to show their support, and Cynthia Thomas, a Taravella teacher who beat breast cancer twice, will throw out the first pitch. Thomas said her last bout with the disease was three years ago.

“Because of all the advances made in recent years, it was caught very early both times,” she said. “I think that it’s great that the baseball team is shining light on this topic. Because breast cancer has been a focus of concern by so many people, women (and men) are becoming more aware of the importance of exams, and there are less invasive treatments available. It also shows that this isn’t just a ‘woman’s disease’ as it impacts men’s wives, sisters and mothers. It is a honor to be selected to throw out the first ball. I am a survivor thanks to people like yourselves.”

Thomas won’t be the only one from Taravella at the event who has be affected by breast cancer.

“I have lost my grandmother due to breast cancer, so its meaningful to me as well as to many to raise money for the cause,” Trojans coach Ryan Stuart said. “She had it twice and could not beat it the second time. The first time my grandmother had breast cancer, I was only 10 years old and had no idea what cancer was, but I knew it was bad. Was I worried? Yes, I was, but knew she was strong and would be fine. The second time she had it, I was in my senior season at University of Tampa. She found out about it in November, and by February, she had passed. It was very hard on me as she was getting weaker and weaker. I still remember the last thing I said to her and she said back to me, and I’ll cherish it forever.”

Breast cancer also has affected the life of Trojans player Greg Feinberg, whose mother beat the disease six years ago and whose cousin is currently fighting it.

“I feel the most important thing when you’re dealing with a disease like breast cancer is to never lose heart,” Feinberg said. “I feel like we’re giving a heart to the cause.”

He hopes the shoelaces and wristbands the team will be wearing will help inspire others to support the cause and raise awareness for the disease.

Feinberg’s teammate, Andrew Wallach, echoed that sentiment.

“It’s something that’s different,” Wallach said. “We get excited for pretty much anything we do, so hopefully it’ll get other people excited as well. Any chance we get to help out with something like this is good.”

Stuart said the event fits in with the plan he had when he took over as head coach this summer.

“When I was named head coach in July, one of the things I really wanted to do was get our name out in the community that we are here to make a difference,” Stuart said. “One of the ways I wanted to do this was by raising money for a cause and getting the kids involved with different projects off the field.”

Although another fundraiser isn’t planned at this time, Stuart said he would like to do one to support Parkinson’s, a disease his father has been fighting for 20 years, and also one to recognize the military.

Stuart said the idea for the breast cancer fundraiser came about from a school-wide effort a few weeks ago to join in the effort to raise awareness and find a cure.

“The coaching staff agreed that with this being breast cancer awareness month, then it’s about that time to have an event like this,” he said. “We were discussing the idea with a few different students and two girls said why not [call it] ‘Saving Second Base’? We loved it, ran with it, and the players are all really excited about it. Every day, the kids keep asking ‘Where are our shoelaces?’ “

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