Sept. 30, 2003

Cindy Gannon knows volleyball. This year marks her 15th season as head coach of Southeast Missouri State University's women's volleyball squad. A 1985 physical education graduate of Southeast, Gannon took over the coaching helm in 1989 and has led the team to over 300 victories, eight Ohio Valley Conference regular season championships and four trips to the NCAA Tournament.

Gannon also knows breast cancer. In 2000, she lost her mother to the disease that is estimated to take the lives of 800 Missouri women this year. But Gannon's fighting spirit wouldn't let her grieve in silence. She turned tragedy into triumph with the founding of Dig for Life, a fundraiser whose proceeds are used to educate Southeast Missouri women about breast cancer prevention and to help families already victimized by the disease.

Dig for Life is held annually each October to coincide with National Breast Cancer Awareness month. Southeast Missouri State women's volleyball program plays a vital role in Dig for Life's success. Team members secure pledges per "dig," - diving for the ball to save it for a hit or a score. Digs are tallied throughout all of October's home matches, and monies collected are allocated to nearby medical facilities for the purpose of carrying out Dig for Life's goal of raising breast cancer awareness and encouraging mammograms. Studies have shown that one in every eight women nationally will develop breast cancer. Survival rates are increased significantly if the cancer is detected early through mammography screening.

This year, Gannon has teamed up with Saint Francis Medical Center, which is donating its resources to help increase the reach of Dig for Life. Saint Francis is a 249-bed regional medical center serving more than 250,000 people in a five-state region. It is a full-service, tertiary care medical center with the region's only neonatologist-staffed Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), nationally ranked Neurosciences Institute and Orthopaedics Services, a Heart Institute that has brought leading-edge procedures to the region, and a full complement of support and ancillary services. The Cancer Institute of Cape Girardeau, LLC., home of the region's only Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) treatment center to fight cancer with fewer side effects, is an affiliate of Saint Francis Medical Center.

To learn more about Dig for Life and how to participate, please call 573-331-5995.