Northwest soccer stands “u-knighted” against cancer

COLERAIN TWP – Cancer and its myriad forms cause a vast amount of lives to spin wildly out of control. Much of the fight against cancer is finding ways to seize power, regain control and raise awareness.

Those three goals were on Northwest soccer player Mason Faucett’s mind after he heard his aunt had begun her fight against breast cancer last year. He came up with the idea of combining one of the games with making people aware of the disease and the fight for the cure.

“We were sitting around in our living room thinking of ways we could give back, help our aunt and help others,” Mason said. “If the game helped only one person, I felt obligated to do it.”

After discussing his idea with his teammates, Faucett learned teammate Josh Waywood’s mother, JoD, was also dealing with the disease.

The Breast Cancer Awareness game was not only created, it returned for a second year and occurred during the game against Glen Este Sept. 19, a 6-0 Northwest victory.

In that first game, Northwest took the field wearing white jerseys, white shorts and pink socks. The Knights took it up a notch this year. Every player wore a pink jersey.

“The team supported it 100 percent,” Mason said. “They gave it their all in that win and rallied to show support for the fight against cancer.”

Donations were accepted throughout the game. After the contest, the referee said he wanted to donate his fee for officiating the game to the cause.

The pink jerseys, which were made possible by a local Meijer, will be passed down to future teams so the game can become an annual tradition.

Other teams at Northwest such as the volleyball and girls soccer teams have started doing what they can to promote awareness.

“We want to raise awareness any way we can and keep the kids involved,” JoD said. “Even if they aren’t directly affected by the disease or don’t know a family member who has it, they know about it and what it can do.

“I’m so thankful for my kids. They mean the world to me and helped me get through it.”

Mason’s aunt preferred to keep the details of her fight private, but Brenda Faucett confirmed the aunt is currently cancer-free and adjusting to a “new normal.”

JoD is in complete remission, though she will be on medications for the next 10 years to try and prevent it from coming back.

“I’m not worrying about that right now,” she said. “Every day is a good-hair day, the windows in the car go down more often and I am embracing today because tomorrow isn’t guaranteed.”