Sept. 18, 2008

Amherst, Mass. - At 11:00AM, on Sunday, Sept. 21, athletes from the men's and women's lacrosse team, as well as the field hockey team, will be running a 5K at Amherst College to raise awareness for pediatric brain cancer. Former field hockey player Erin O'Brien created this race to merge the community with the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation. The Minutemen/Minutewomen will be joined by student-athletes from UConn, Mt. Holyoke College, and Amherst College to celebrate and support the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation, an organization dedicated to creating awareness for children with brain tumors.

Speeches by Denis Murphy, the founder of Friend of Jaclyn, and other influential members of the foundation will be held at 10:00AM at Amherst College's Alumni Gymnasium. From there, participants will begin either a 5K run around Amherst or a one-mile walk.

To pre-register, or learn more about the children, visit www.FOJrace.com. The cost of the race is ten dollars--a donation to the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation.

UMass' teams have adopted two children-Marissa and Lexie. Lexie, the women's lacrosse buddy, was diagnosed with a grade two astrocytoma (brain tumor) when she was three months old. She underwent brain surgery at four months and then again at age five when the tumor doubled in size. Today, she loves to camp, go to the beach, create art, and ride her bike.

Marissa, sponsored by the field hockey team, was diagnosed with a pilocytic astrocytoma in her hypothalamus and optic nerve when she was 7. After surgery and 15 months of chemo, Marissa was not able to walk and needed braces and a wheel chair to get around. Determined, she started physical therapy four days a week and was walking on her own after six months. She now competes on the JV competition cheerleading team.

For more information about the Friends of Jaclyn, please visit www.friendsofjaclyn.org.