Fayette, Mo. Central Methodist University will be promoting the "Defeat All Cancer" program at this Saturday's football game against Benedictine College, as part of a conference initiative by the Heart of America Athletic Conference.
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"I was very uneducated on cancer," said CMU head football coach Jody Ford. "After fighting and beating the disease, I believe we are very close in finding a cure for cancer. Now being on the inside of the disease, I believe with the billions of dollars that have been donated for this cause throughout the years, I would like to think that we are five to ten years from finding a cure."
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The Defeat All Cancer Game (DAC) is a game in which all that are involved have an opportunity to touch the lives of those people that have gone through or are going through this most difficult disease.
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This game was originated when Bruce Pielstick's (current offensive coordinator at MidAmerica Nazarene University) wife of 27 years found out she was battling bladder cancer. He noticed that there were others going through this same fight, but it wasn't being represented on the gridiron. Football is a great game, and is an excellent example of battling against an opponent, but in this situation both teams are fighting for the same cause, which is to raise the awareness about all forms of cancer and then to provide a hope by representing those in this fight on the field today.
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The goals of the DAC game are three-fold: �1) To lift and encourage those who are in the battle with this disease; 2) To impact the athletes and coaches on both football teams represented, and 3) To unify the campus in the fight against this disease.
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The objectives for DAC are: �1) Bring awareness to all forms of cancer, 2) Impact the lives of all that participate in the game, and 3) Raise funding to assist in this battle against cancer.
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Central Methodist returns home Saturday to host 23^rd ranked Benedictine College at Davis Field for Family Night. As part of the Family Weekend celebration, CMU will host a fireworks show at halftime.
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For more information about Central Methodist University athletics, visit http://www.cmueagles.com. Follow CMU athletics on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cmathletics and on Twitter twitter.com/cmueagles.