TOPSHAM — From goal line to goal line, the scene was hard to miss.
Field hockey players lined the field at Mt. Ararat High School on Saturday afternoon, each holding an orange sign with a name. The names were tied to a similar story and a similar fight.
The 12th Drive Out Cancer Field Hockey Tournament was held Saturday at the Topsham school. What started as a simple match between the Eagles and neighboring Morse has turned into an eight-team round-robin tournament that also includes Brunswick, Greely, Lewiston, Lincoln Academy, Lisbon and Oak Hill.
The tournament is a fundraider for the Maine Children’s Cancer Program, the pediatric oncology and hematology program of the MaineHealth Barbara Busch Children’s Hospital. This year’s edition raised more than $8,000, far exceeding its $6,000 goal. Over the years, the tournament has raised more than $120,500.
It also continues to take on more personal meaning to the Eagles. Last year, the team recognized forward Abbey Roy, who battled and beat stage four Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Now a junior, Roy was one of multiple survivors to talk about their battle on Saturday, along with teammate Adelynn Moody and retired field hockey official Martha Meyer, Mt. Ararat coach Krista Chase’s stepmother.
“Sadly, every one of us knows a family member or friend whose life has been affected by cancer,” said Meyer, a breast cancer survivor of 25 years, during a midday presentation. “There’s nothing good to say about cancer, except for events like this that bring us together as a community to support children and their families.”
Statistically, Maine and New Hampshire have one of the highest rates of pediatric cancer.
“I’ve never seen an event quite like this, I’ve never seen students speak so eloquently about this topic,” said Dr. Aaron Weiss, a pediatric hematology-oncology provider with MaineHealth. “Pediatric cancer is just one percent of all cancer, but there’s 50-60 children who are diagnosed in Maine and New Hampshire each year. In this state, we care for the large majority of those patients … Much of the money that is raised through events like this go to support that extra work that is critical for these children and families.”
Roy received her diagnosis three years ago.
“I went to the doctor, they saw something in my lungs and had to run some tests,” Roy said. “They came up with it being stage four Hodgkin’s lymphoma. I was getting chemo once every two weeks for six months and I’ve been in remission ever since … At first, hearing that you have stage four cancer, out of the blue, it’s just shocking.”
Roy said she was supported during her treatment by her Mt. Ararat teammates.
“They gave me gift baskets, they were all so great,” Roy said. “They were really just there for anything I needed.”
Moody, a freshman forward, began her fight at age 5.
“I went to the hospital and found out something wasn’t right,” Moody said. “In second grade, during COVID, I get a phone call that let us know that I had relapsed after my first round (of chemotherapy).”
Moody had B-cell lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL), a fast-growing cancer of the blood and bone marrow. Her second round of chemo was successful.
“It’s been five years now that I’ve been in remission,” Moody said. “I’m feeling great … (The tournament) means a lot. Everyone’s in it together. It’s not about field hockey, it’s about everyone coming together. It’s more than the game.”