The woman’s soccer team held a 5K Run/Walk this past Sunday in honor of their teammate, junior Kiki Koroshetz. The well-attended fundraiser featured a run through the campus and the Hamilton community, as well as free food and t-shirts. The event grossed about $8,000 in donations which will go towards pediatric cancer research.

“It came to me randomly. I just really wanted to do something for her, just so everyone at school knew about it, mainly to create awareness…for her,” senior and captain of the soccer team Jillian Fonseca said.

The idea received strong approval from both her coach and teammates who went onboard and helped make the event possible. They advertised heavily on and off campus and set up a course similar to what they sometimes run at practice. Fonseca then went as far as obtaining donations for t-shirts and food from Dinosaur BBQ and a local farm. The event itself had an attendance of about 400 people from both the student and athletic communities.

“We had an incredible turn out from the sports teams,” Fonseca said of the many teams that both fundraised and attended the event.

Koroshetz herself expressed great enthusiasm for the event’s success: “I am amazed by the outcome of the 5K Run/Walk. I am so proud of my teammates and coaches and everyone who made the run possible.”

Koroshetz was recently been diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma/pPNET, an uncommon pediatric cancer that can present itself in the bones and soft tissues of the body. The cancer responds well to treatments such as chemotherapy and young patients are usually presented with high, if not complete, survival rates.

“Treatments haven’t proven to be the easiest time of my life, but I have had many great days, and so far everything is going according to schedule, which is the most important thing in my mind,” Koroshetz said. “I am looking forward to that time in the future when this will all be a part of my memory.”

Through her experience, Koroshetz has come to several new revelations. She has noticed, for example, that many believe the government does not invest enough funds in pediatric cancer research.

“I am learning more about the medical world than I ever thought I would,” she said. The Run/Walk’s proceeds will hopefully go to allay such a discrepancy and bring to attention this issue that faces some youths.

Fonseca commented that at this time, no future events have been planned, but that the soccer team was accepting donations up until this past Wednesday. In all, the event proved to be much more successful than anticipated by Fonseca, for which she and Koroshetz were gratified.

“I am touched by the overwhelming amount of support I have received from the Colgate Community,” Koroshetz said. “It has been great to be able to see this support on my short visits to campus this semester…as for the Colgate Women’s Soccer team, there are really no words, or words worthy enough, to describe them.”

Koroshetz will remain off campus this semester as she will be home receiving treatment. However, the support from the Colgate community and her love of the game has kept her going strong. It is clear that she awaits the day she can be back on the field, enjoying and competing with her friends and teammates.

“I escape to Colgate as often as I can, and I have been fortunate to see a good number of soccer games so far. In between those times, I holler at my computer when their games are being video streamed,” Koroshetz said.