Tomorrow afternoon, Bradley will face UIC in the final home game of the season. We will be celebrating our lone senior
Veronika Roberts and her time at Bradley. It's also the inaugural Be Bold, Go Gold! game for pediatric cancer awareness.
Leading up to the game, Head Coach
Kate Popovec-Goss sat down to talk about her niece Meline and her battle with cancer.
"The number four resonates deeply with me. It's how old my niece, Melina Michelle Edenfield, was when she was diagnosed with a DMG brain tumor. It was how old she was when she died 32 days after her diagnosis. And unfortunately, it's the percentage of National Funding that goes toward pediatric cancer research. It astonishes me that this is all we are willing to invest in our kids. Four percent.
When Melina was diagnosed, her parents were presented with very limited treatment options. In fact, they were presented with the same treatment options as a little girl named Karen "Muffie" Armstrong. Muffie was the daughter of the first man to ever walk on the moon, astronaut Neil Armstrong. Muffie unfortunately passed away of a DIPG brain tumor in 1962. So nearly 60 years later, when Melina was diagnosed, no advancements had been made in treatment.
Children deserve so much more. Each day, 43 children will be diagnosed with cancer. Second only to accidents, cancer is the leading cause of death among children. Because of the toxicity of treatments, 2/3 survivors will develop chronic health conditions or second cancers. When Melina died, her mother, my sister Michelle, made it her mission to give far more hope to other families and children than was given to ours. Be Bold, Go Gold! is a day to raise awareness. To honor those children and families who have been affected by pediatric cancer, and to celebrate those who have fought and are still fighting. In honor of my niece, Melina, and so many other kids, let's Choose Joy, wear gold, and give our children something to fight for."
Check out Coach Pop talk more about Melina and her story in the video below!
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Bradley takes on the UIC Flames tomorrow afternoon at 2:00 PM at the Renaissance Coliseum.
HOW THE TEAMS STACK UP
|
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
FG% |
3P% |
FT% |
| Bradley |
57.2 |
32.3 |
12.0 |
37.9 |
31.2 |
69.3 |
| UIC |
56.6 |
33.1 |
12.3 |
38.9 |
29.4 |
67.1 |
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Bradley: Caroline Waite,
Alex Rouse,
Isis Fitch
UIC: Jaida McCloud, Josie Filer, Ky Toney-Dempsey
KEEP UP WITH THE ACTION
Follow along with
@BradleyWBB throughout the game to stay up to date!
UP NEXT
The Braves will head on the road for their final games of the season at Indiana State and Evansville. You can stream the games on ESPN+, or you can tune into 1290 WIRL.