SEATTLE -- For Paige Hoffman, this is personal.
When Seattle Pacific rolls out its first Dig Pink Night during this coming Saturday's volleyball match against Northwest Nazarene, it will be a chance to raise awareness of breast cancer and to offer some financial support toward that end and toward further research.
But in the case of Hoffman, a sophomore outside hitter for the Falcons, it goes beyond that.
Nearly three decades ago, Hoffman's grandmother on her dad's side of the family was diagnosed with the disease.
“She was having some strange symptoms and didn't really know what was going on,” Hoffman said. “The doctor told her to get a mammogram and a chest X-ray. She had cancer cells, but not a lump. You wouldn't find it in some self-exam. On the X-rays, it looked like a spider web.”
The good news is that this story had a happy ending -- one that continues today. Hoffman's grandmother is now in her 70s, lives in San Diego in the same house where she has been for more than 50 years, and is very active in her church and in the lives of her children and grandchildren.
Hoffman wants more happy endings for more people. So does the Side-Out Foundation, which is sponsoring Dig Pink nights nationwide this fall at college and high school matches during October, such as Saturday's SPU- NNU contest in Brougham Pavilion at 7 p.m.
For Seattle Pacific fans who come wearing pink, the cost of their ticket will be donated to Side-Out. Fans also will have a chance to serve for T-shirts during the 10-minute break between Games 2 and 3. In addition, ushers will hand out envelopes to the crowd which can be used to make an addition donation, or, they can visit SPU's Dig Pink page to contribute online.
The Falcons, who earlier teamed up with the Ballard Market to promote Dig Pink, will be at Upper Queen Anne's Metropolitan Market (1908 Queen Anne Ave. N.) on Saturday morning from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The team will have a booth as part of a Hawaiian paiea gathering at the market, and will hand out Dig Pink bookmarks and fliers.
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER
The first step toward those happier endings is one that Hoffman hammered at with the same forcefulness she uses to hammer a kill during a match:Get informed.
“It's just getting the blinders off. There are things you have to watch out for that you might not have thought about before,” Hoffman said.
Among them: Breast cancer can strike at men, too. It's not as common as it is among women, but it happens. And if not caught quickly enough, the end results can be just as deadly, regardless of gender.
“It's a tough one -- especially if it gets in the lymph nodes and they don't find it quick enough, it can get very serious,” Hoffman said.
One of Dig Pink's points of emphasis is regular check-ups. The breast cancer battle is 27 years further along than it was when Hoffman's grandmother was diagnosed. But that won't matter if the disease isn't detected in the first place.
Hoffman acknowledged that going for those check-ups “might be a little scary at the time.”
But, she added, “It will definitely be worth it if you find it as early as possible.”
Hoffman's grandmother is a prime example of the benefits of early diagnosis, corresponding treatment -- and follow-up.
“You have to keep on top of it. Even if someone does get it, you have to be very careful that it doesn't come back,” Hoffman said. “She has been fine ever since -- 27 years fine,” Hoffman said.
For many people, that's what Saturday's Dig Pink Night will be all about -- learning, then acting upon it.
But for Paige Hoffman, it goes beyond that.
It's personal.
