A decade later, the two teams are still helping cancer patients and have decided to grow the impact of the event.
For Kaylee Cox Bankston a regular night at home turned concerning.
“I was just sitting on the couch one night and I identified a knot on the left side, and so I immediately went to get it checked out. The knot I identified wasn’t cancer, it was just a benign cist, but while they were looking at that they detected cancer on the other side,” she said.
Cox Bankston was diagnosed with Breast Cancer.
“A couple of months later I had surgery. I was fortunate in the type of cancer I had that I didn’t have to undergo chemotherapy and they detected it so early. They detected it honestly about as early as they could have,” she said.
Now cancer free, Cox Bankston wanted to help others and there’s no better way than to go back to the place where she grew up.
“I played for Harrison all through high school,” she said.
Harrison and Bergman have been hosting the ‘Pink Out Tennis Classic’ for 10 years, but for the first time the event is named after Kaylee Cox Bankston. With her involvement she wanted to do more.
“Just raise awareness and encourage other people that might be going through similar circumstances because it certainly isn’t something I expected, but I would like to use the opportunity to help others grow from it,” said Cox Bankston.
With help from a local bank, T-shirts and food sales, the money raised will go towards scholarships, but it will also fund gift cards to help those battling breast cancer.
“Go get yourself some gas, go get you a tank of gas or get something to eat or something,” Bergman tennis coach Steve Cox said.
It’s things like gift cards that can make a big difference.
“I remember there was a kit given to me when I was going through radiation and there was things like makeup and things just to make you feel good. I remember just crying when I got that,” said Cox Bankston.
“It meant a lot. We had people bring us food and stuff like that. I think it really helped my mom a lot,” Harrison senior tennis player Ethan Bixler said.
Bixler is about a year removed from his mom surviving breast cancer. Now, his tennis team is helping families just like his.
“It feels really good to be out here and support people that are going through it and that have been through it. I know it’s really tough, not just on the people who have breast cancer but their families too. It was tough for me honestly,” Bixler added.
Pink Out hopes to make a tough time a little easier.
