WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. – The Pepperdine women’s basketball team was among thousands of supporters walking the streets of Woodland Hills with bright red glowing helium balloons for the two-mile Light The Night walk Sunday night, October 4. The event was organized in an effort to raise money and awareness for the fight against blood cancers.
The walk was sponsored by the Leukemia/ Lymphoma Society and organized by local groups including the Waves women’s team. Assistant coach Shelley Sheetz has a very personal interest in the cause. Her mother Carol was recently diagnosed with brain cancer. The girls on the team wanted to do something to support her and came up with the idea to participate in the organization and implementation of this event. Together, they raised over five thousand dollars for cancer research.
The evening began in the park adjacent to the Woodland Hills Marriott Hotel with live bands, youth dance groups, donated refreshments and a performance by American Idol contestant, Stephanie Williams. As the sun set, the red balloons were lit with tiny flashlights inside each one. The teams were introduced and at one point over a thousand participants in red t-shirts with “Kelsey’s Team” climbed the stage and overflowed onto the grassy area below. Kelsey is a fourteen-year-old freshman at Chaminade High School who has been battling cancer for over a year. According to one of her team members, the entire high school and middle school, parents, friends and siblings turned out to support her. Kelsey took the stage and with tremendous grace and poise told her story of her struggles and survival as she is now in remission. With tears and a cracking voice she thanked her parents and all the participants.
" I was moved by the story of the little girl Kelsey and all of her supporters. We came out to honor to Carol, but it makes you realize that when you complain about some little thing, you have no idea what's going on in other people's lives, " said senior guard Daphanie Kennedy (Oakland, Calif./ Kearny HS).
Shortly before the start, head coach Julie Rousseau gathered the team together and read an extremely moving e-mail from Carol Sheetz thanking them for their support and expressing sorrow at not being able to join them. Carol’s progressively weakening state prevented her from making the trip from Colorado. Many of the girls listened with tears in their eyes as “Momma Carol” is known to all as an avid supporter and fan who traveled out for many of their games in the past.
After the introductions, the walk began with participants filling the streets while a police car led the way. Team Pepperdine walking in honor of Carol Sheetz, lined up somewhere towards the back of the walkers. However, you couldn’t miss the tall, athletic looking girls among the crowd. As they walked, they told Carol’s story and listened to other stories from the various teams ahead. There was a little 16-month old boy in a giraffe suit sitting in a wagon (also decorated as a giraffe) being pulled by his mother and surrounded by walkers in blue shirts with a giraffe logo.
“We’re walking for this little guy,” said the boy’s uncle “He’s been through so much and he’s a real fighter. Right now his blood count is looking pretty good.”
Residents in apartments cheered the walkers on. Cars honked and passengers and drivers called out words of support. Everyone was visibly moved by the event.
“The biggest message we are sending to these girls is we all go through adversity at one time or another. I hope I can be an example that life has to go on, no matter how hard things get personally, you have to treat others with respect and kindness,’’ said Sheetz. “Our team motto is ‘Today is today, so make it a great day!”
