Breast Cancer Awareness Hits Home For Newtown High Field Hockey Team

By Andy Hutchison

The Newtown High School field hockey team is making attempts to defeat much more than their opponents this month. October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Nighthawks have raised more than $2,000, and continue to raise money, which will be donated to the American Cancer Society to fight breast cancer.

The team played a Breast Cancer Awareness Game in participation with Play 4 The Cure earlier in the month. Players wore pink shirts and pink balls were used in the game for which proceeds go to breast cancer research. The Nighthawks also raised money through a bake sale and raffle.

One of the team’s captains, Taylor Barry said the Nighthawk’s efforts would have been important to her no matter what, but since her mom, Patty, is battling breast cancer, the fundraising efforts have special and significant meaning.

“The fundraising is so important to me because I’m so directly connected to it,” Taylor Barry said.

“I could see how much people really care about finding a cure for this disease. The girls became more aware and can see with their support there is hope,” said Patty Barry, adding that she is fortunate to receive so much support from family, friends, and the Newtown community.

Barry had her annual mammogram last December and was sent home from the hospital with the good news that everything was negative, but eight weeks later she found herself back in the hospital for a mastectomy and received the news nobody wants to hear: she had cancer. This came as a shock, especially since there was no family history of the disease.

“Mammograms are not enough. Women are being misdiagnosed with just a mammogram. An MRI or an ultrasound along with the mammogram will show what really lies beneath,” she said. “I pray that some day it will not take something like my story or ‘family history’ to require both tests to be done together.”

Her friend Diana Paproski, whose daughter Stephanie (Class of 2008) played field hockey with Taylor, echoes that sentiment. Paproski gave Barry support and courage when she was first diagnosed, Patty said. Paproski is now being treated for breast cancer a second time. Paproski is going through chemotherapy and Barry recently took her to the hospital for a test. Paproski, meanwhile, accompanied Patty, who recently finished chemotherapy, to radiation last week.

“It’s something that affects everyone whether it’s directly, with a family member or a friend,” NHS Coach Amanda Hadgraft said. “You need to take care of yourself and support those who are going through it.”

“I love giving back to people who really need help,” Taylor’s teammate, captain Linda Magliocco said.

Both Taylor and Magliocco are interested in pursuing careers in health care.

Donations may be made on the American Cancer Society web page (cancer.org). Click on “Making Strides for Breast Cancer” in the left column of the page; a map will appear (click on Connecticut); click on “Making Strides for Breast Cancer Westport — Get Involved” and search for Patricia Barry.