HAMDEN, CONN. - The Quinnipiac Women's Lacrosse team held an "adoption ceremony" on Tuesday to welcome Catherine (Cat) Reed to the program. Reed has a Grade 4 Glioblastoma, an extremely rare brain tumor, and connected with the Bobcat family through the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation (FoJ). FoJ was founded in 2005 by Denis and Lynda Murphy to improve the quality of life for children with pediatric brain tumors and their families by pairing them with college and high school athletic teams after their daughter Jaclyn was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor.
"We are really fortunate that FoJ was able to introduce us to Cat and her Mom. Everyone on the team is inspired by Cat and how courageous she has been in fighting this battle. We hope that our relationship with Cat can provide her with the friendship, love, and support that she needs to survive," said head coach Danie Caro. The team's relationship with Reed will be on-going throughout the year as part of the Positive Play efforts, coordinated by junior Samantha Tilts and sophomore Sara McCullough.
During the ceremony, Reed was presented with a team jersey and certificate welcoming her to the team. Junior assistant captain Vicki Kuhn read a message on behalf of the team that read, "We are so lucky to have met such an inspirational young woman like you.The battles you face on any given day drive us to work harder, play harder, and most importantly, to play for each other. You are a part of our team now and are truly important to our success as a team. It has been said that "the shortest distance between new friends is a smile," and that is exactly what you do for us... you make us smile and we too hope that with time and more opportunities to get to know you, that we can make you smile just as much. Thank you for letting us into your life. We are so excited to welcome you to our team and our family!"