Team puts on fund-raiser for player fighting
stage 4 cancer
By Douglas Sulenta
The Collegian
About two hundred people gathered
on the track outside the softball stadium Saturday morning to participate
in a walk-a-thon to raise money and show support for Rachael Donaldson.
Donaldson, a left fielder for the Bulldog softball team, was diagnosed
with stage 4 soft tissue sarcoma cancer last month. Donaldson had been
playing with a tumor behinid her left knee all of last season. The Bulldog
softball team organized the event to help Donaldson and her family with
the costs of her treatment and her family’s travel expenses.
“The walk-a-thon went really well. We had a lot of people, we’ve
generated a lot of money and we’re trying to get a couple of organizations
that have volunteered to possibly match the funds,” said softball
head coach Margie Wright. “We had a lot of fun and a lot of great
people came out to donate.”
With the support of Sigma Phi Epsilon and the Kappa Alpha Theta fraternities,
as well as the Delta Gamma sorority, the event went off without a hitch.
“They were awesome,” said Wright of the Greek organizations.
“I think it’s important that people understand the kinds of
things they do for the university and the community and we were really
happy to have them be a part of it.”
Donaldson is currently undergoing treatment at University of California,
San Francisco and has just finished her third round of chemotherapy. Even
though it seems Donaldson is facing the toughest opponent of her life,
you wouldn’t be able to tell from her jovial demeanor. Mingling
with her teammates and throwing out the first pitch of the alumnae game
that followed the walk-a-thon, Donaldson was most definitely in high spirits.
“You would never know she’s going through this,” said
teammate Laura Ferreira. “Her personality is still the same as before.”
Shortstop Laura Clark said, “She’s strong and she’s
got the same great attitude she’s always had.”
The alumnae game included former Bulldog stars such as Olympic gold medalist
Lara Berg, star pitcher Jamie Southern and a host of other former players.
On Monday, Donaldson will go through the fourth of six chemotherapy treatments
in San Francisco.
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