Marching to a Cure
October 30, 2009
To many, it seems as though a mysterious new following has risen among the Neuqua student body. A large portion of students have begun to wear matching white t-shirts that read “C-Fed” on the front, and “Christine’s Soldiers” on the back. This incredibly positive group of students and staff members are rallying to find funds for Christine Federico, mother of Senior Nikki Federico, who diagnosed earlier this year with Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS), a rare disease acting like the early stages of leukemia.
Christine Federico is recognized for her impressive accomplishments in volleyball, a sport that she has gained expertise in both by playing and coaching. She played on the prestigious Sports Performance Volleyball Club in high school, was a starting outside hitter at Illinois State University, and played Pro-Beach Volleyball. As an adult, she returned to Sports Performance Volleyball Club as a coach and volunteered her time to help out with Neuqua’s volleyball team, where her daughter Nikki has been a varsity player since her freshman year.
With such an incredible devotion to the volleyball, the sport is giving back at Neuqua Valley with the volleyball team’s C-Fed fundraiser. Because MDS currently does not have a cure, the hope that is currently instilled in Christine Federico’s army of supporters is for a bone marrow transplant that will lead to remission. The problem is that funds must be raised in order for that procedure to occur. The official C-Fed goal is $5,000 towards the bone marrow transplant, and the volleyball program has taken the community by storm with their enthusiasm for the cause.
There has been such an overwhelming reaction from the fundraisers that outside sources have started to get in on the action. A fundraiser held on some familiar ground for Federico took place on October 11th, where a volleyball tournament took donations and had a raffle for those contributing to the Federico’s procedure. Jersey Mike’s Subs on 75th Street offered 10% of their proceeds on October 7th to go towards the ultimate goal of $5,000. “Jersey Mikes was packed not only with Neuqua staff and students, but also members of the community who just wanted to help out,” Senior Erin Meehan said after dining at Jersey Mike’s during the C-Fed event. A tournament on October 11th at Sports Performance was also held to raise money for pr
Even though this deal is over, Neuqua Valley is not stopping until that $5,000 mark is reached. Members of the volleyball team are still selling C-Fed t-shirts for $10 along with any additional donations that people may wish to make.
As for Christine Federico’s family, the genetic athletic strength is translated to emotional strength when it comes to coping with such an unfortunate situation. Nikki Federico attributes her mother’s strength to “being as tough as she was as an athlete and dealing with all of the things that she has dealt with.” When describing the affect that her mother’s MDS has had on the family, Nikki’s own strength and leadership shine through when she says that “The situation has brought everyone in the family closer. [My mom] can’t really go out, so it’s like me being a second mom for my sister.”
In a time where it would be easy to give in, the entire Federico family continues to power through tough times like champions. Fueled by the moral and financial support of friends, family, and the community, Christine Federico is making significant progress towards the right direction, away from negativity and closer to to getting back in the game.
Allie Hermann, Staff Writer
