Volley team promotes breast cancer awareness

Each October, the Louisiana High School Athletic Association's encourages volleyball teams statewide to dedicate a game to Volleyball for the Cure. Teams take the court to help promote breast cancer awareness and raise money for Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

When Bonnabel Magnet Academy High School's volleyball coach, Dee Dee Hebert, told her players that they would be sponsoring a game this year, senior Marion Carter felt proud. Marion's grandmother, Jacquelyn Bazile-Carter and her aunt, Gladys Bazile, are both breast cancer survivors.

"I could not hold my excitement back when I heard that we would have this game. I know what it means to support this cause because of my relatives," Marion said.

Bonnabel's team members sold pink T-shirts for students and faculty to wear on the day of the game and played with a pink volleyball for the occasion. Bonnabel's opponent, Belle Chasse High, wore pink shirts.

Marion's grandmother was excited that her granddaughter's team had this special game.

"It is important that these young girls are made aware of the signs of breast cancer early in their lives," Bazile-Carter said. She stressed they should be doing self-examinations monthly even at a young age.

"As a survivor for 15 years, I had a positive attitude and I know that this was a blessing for me," she said.

Before the game, Bazile-Carter was called to the stage in the gymnasium with six other survivors: Marleen Marmillion, Laura Hebert, Joann Knower, Patty Kulakowski, Marilyn Bulliard and Sharlene Barrois.

"Calling out the names of the survivors who came to the game was emotional for me," Hebert said. "For them to be diagnosed with breast cancer and survived it after all the treatments made me feel good."

Hebert thinks this will be an annual tradition for the Bonnabel volleyball teams. "I expect this event to get bigger each year," she said....