On Oct. 25, the Oberlin College football team played in the Nobody Fights Alone game, a fundraiser organized by players, coaches, and other members of the athletics staff to honor and support individuals battling breast cancer through the Cleveland Clinic’s Cancer Patient and Family Support Services Fund. Since 2021, the team has raised nearly $30,000 for cancer-related causes. This year’s focus was selected in honor of Chief of Staff and Assistant Football Coach Roseanna Smith’s battle with breast cancer, which began in 2024.
Smith said the Oberlin football team, Head Coach John Pont, and the rest of the Athletics department were supportive from the beginning of her diagnosis. In a written statement to the Review, she recalled Pont driving her to the biopsy appointment that confirmed she had cancer.
“More than anything, [Pont] and [Assistant] Coach Ben Hammer were unwavering in their conviction that everything would be okay, even if it wasn’t in the moment,” Smith wrote. “When you are diagnosed with cancer, there is so much uncertainty, many decisions that must be made quickly, and a complete shift in your life. They helped me manage the chaos in those moments.”
The players on the team also kept her company on her journey — some of the team shaved their heads when Smith decided to after experiencing hair loss from chemotherapy. Many team members texted her regularly over the school year and the summer.
“[They] held the faith and gave me a semblance of ‘normal’ amid the difficulty,” Smith wrote.
College fourth-year Hunter Green said that seeing Smith’s battle made the cause personal and inspired the team to do what they could to support other survivors.
“Seeing [Smith’s experience] firsthand really had a significant impact on why I wanted to raise a lot of money,” he said. “It wasn’t only that, it was … helping people out with the unseen part of dealing with cancer … something that seemingly isn’t talked about enough. Missing days of work and all the expenses that come with cancer treatment is something the team rallied behind to raise as much money as possible.”
Breast cancer is the most common cancer for women in the U.S. other than skin cancers, according to the American Cancer Society. The average woman in the U.S. has a one-in-eight chance of developing breast cancer at some point in her life. Survival rates for breast cancer have drastically increased over the last decades, but many families still struggle for years with the financial implications of the diagnosis — the cost not just of treatment but of lost income and additional financial stressors associated with frequent visits to hospitals.
The Cancer Patient and Family Support Services Fund financially supports cancer patients and their families with those financial concerns outside of the treatment itself, such as rent and mortgage payments, childcare, groceries, and transportation to and from appointments.
For many players, Smith was not the first person close to them to battle cancer. A close family friend of third-year wide receiver Cameron Burke was diagnosed with cancer about three years ago and has since beaten it. Burke took a role raising awareness for the fundraiser and encouraged his friends and family to donate.
“Despite both women having fought and won against cancer, I saw the effects it had on them and their daily life,” Burke said. “I also understood the financial costs of cancer and how it strains both you and the rest of your family. As such, I feel it’s necessary to help anyone that I can with that burden.”
College first-year Ako Taylor II shared a similar story:
“This fundraiser was especially meaningful to me because I know people back home who have battled cancer,” he wrote in an email to the Review. “They were always willing to help others, so I wanted to do the same for them and for those facing similar struggles. I dedicated myself to raising money because I wanted to be part of a miracle in someone’s life. Also, to remind those fighting cancer that they’re not alone and that they have a community behind them.”
For Smith, the fundraiser was both a landmark on her battle with cancer and a moment of strength to join her community in giving back.
“I am overwhelmed by the truly critical support I received during this process, and how our team came together to turn my battle into practical help for others in our community,” she wrote. “‘Nobody Fights Alone’ is not just a slogan for a game but a battle cry for life. Action speaks more than words can ever hope to do.”
The fundraiser is ongoing, as the team sells t-shirts to buy gas cards for cancer patients at the Avon branch of the University Hospital. Those interested can email Smith or buy one at the team’s final home game of the season this Saturday at 12 p.m. against #23 Wabash College. You can also donate through the link in Oberlin Football’s Instagram bio.
