by Elizabeth Stuart
LSU Sports Information
One in eight women will develop invasive breast cancer in her life. Doctors diagnosed an estimated 178,480 new cases of invasive breast cancer in 2007 and more than 40,000 are estimated to have died from the disease the same year. That high of a number guarantees that breast cancer will affect many families at some point in their lives.
Families are losing grandmothers and mothers to this deadly disease, but the disease does not have to end in tragedy. Early detection can save lives. This is a message that former LSU linebacker Bradie James knows well.
James grew up in a matriarchal family headed by his mother Etta James who put family before self, taking constant care of her children and husband who was undergoing kidney dialysis. The family was close knit and even with all of the adversities the family faced, they kept their focus on their son.
In 2000, Etta James was diagnosed with breast cancer, but kept the severity of the prognosis from young Bradie in order to better take care of her family. James put up a hard fought battle against the disease for two years. After a brief remission, she lost her fight early in 2002 shortly after her husband died of kidney failure.
The death of both parents is something that rocked Bradie James to his core.
“The entire family is affected, not just the woman,” recalled James. “When my mom died, we were devastated because she was the glue that held our family together.”
With that glue gone, it was up to James to put the pieces of his own puzzle into place.
After graduating from LSU in 2003 and becoming a National Scholar Athlete in addition to his All-American ranking, the Dallas Cowboys drafted James. Playing in the NFL has afforded James the opportunity to put another piece of his life into place by making a difference in the community around him.
Bradie James created Foundation56, named for the number his Dallas Cowboys’ jersey bears, in October 2007. Foundation56 is James’ way of giving back to the community through the James Gang, a youth leadership program, and Soul Survivors, a breast cancer awareness program created in memory of his mother.
Soul Survivors focuses on breast cancer awareness and providing access and opportunities for early detection, especially in underserviced communities where women lack access to proper healthcare, screenings and other diagnostic testing. Gaps in current services still exist and the aim of Soul Survivors is to fill those gaps in medical care through partnering with established organizations.
One such way James plans to raise funds for his foundation is through partnering with his alma mater in an area he is quite familiar with ? LSU athletics. During the Tigers’ National Championship football season, Bradie James appeared on screen in Tiger Stadium announcing the birth of his foundation. His passion for breast cancer awareness permeated the air as his voice boomed over the speakers.
Soon after, James graced the cover of the People section in The (Baton Rouge) Advocate newspaper. A picture for the article places James at centerfield in the stadium where he spent so many Saturday nights playing for the Tigers. This time he was there to tackle more than the opponent. The headline “Tackling Cancer” jumped from the page, and as it did, the article drew many eyes, one of which was LSU Gymnastics Coach D-D Breaux.
“I saw the article about Foundation56 that ran in The Advocate and I was compelled to do something with that foundation,” stated Breaux. “We started talking about gymnastics’ annual ?Pink Meet’ and wanted to take things to a new level. I decided that Foundation56 would be a great place to start.”
So with that, the idea for the inaugural Etta James Memorial Gymnastics meet was born. The inaugural meet will raise much needed funds for breast cancer screenings and follow up exams for under-privileged women in the Baton Rouge area.
“The money is going to stay here in this community to help those women that need the early detection, mammograms, and follow ups,” commented Breaux. “We would like to think that at some point down the road we could even get a mobile unit to go into the community and touch people that can’t get to the hospitals.”
The Etta James Memorial Meet will take place Feb. 22, 2008 at 7 p.m. in the Maravich Center and tickets are only $1. As incentive for donations, Foundation 56 will be giving out pins, bracelets, t-shirts and pink and purple boas for every $1, $5, $10 and $20 donation received, respectively. In addition, a $1,000 giveaway will occur the night of the event.
“Someone will come away from the event that night with $1,000,” said Breaux.
And as with everything coach Breaux undertakes, she is looking to take this meet to the next level. The goal of this meet is to raise $20,000 and in doing so, save the lives of women around the Baton Rouge area that are facing or will face the adversities of breast cancer.
Bradie James has turned his drive into a drive for life and his passion, coupled with the known passion of the LSU fans, will call on those in the Baton Rouge area to make a difference for the community and a difference for families. Breast cancer doesn’t discriminate when putting a woman in a fight for her life. The spirit of the Tiger fans has the ability to unite the community like no other, and on Friday, Feb. 22, the fans will be united for more than a fight to the top for the Tigers against rival Alabama. They will be involved in a fight for life.