Wearing bright pink shirts to support breast cancer patients, an entire team of boys lacrosse players jogged into their stadium for a Friday night game and warmed up in formation.

Above the stands and the green field, tears welled in the eyes of two moms as they watched the young men stretch and pump each other up to face a key rival in shirts that said “Purpose4Pink.”

That’s because both Julie Fulkerson and Deb Hilgert have had to go through breast cancer treatments over the past year. And now, they were watching with pride as their sons educated an entire high school community about what it’s like to deal with cancer.

Julie and Deb’s cancer journeys might have remained quiet and private. But their sons, Fred Fulkerson and Noah Hilgert, both 18, are seniors and standout lacrosse players at Arapahoe High School.

Their team won state championships last year.

This year, the players would like to clinch another state title, but they’re also going for a win off the field.

Seniors at Arapahoe do what’s called a “capstone project.” They choose a theme in English class and work on a project throughout the year. Inspired by their moms, Fred and Noah decided to work with two friends, Tommy Leonard and Thaddeus Sharkey, to raise money for “cold capping,” a procedure that helps breast cancer patients keep their hair when they’re going through chemotherapy treatments.

Cold capping helped Julie keep all of her hair during 12 weeks of chemotherapy. It also made it easier for her to continue working full-time as a dental hygienist without having to feel like she looked sick or needed to explain to her patients that she was fighting breast cancer.

While Deb had to go through radiation rather than chemotherapy and didn’t need cold capping, she owns a hair salon, Flō Salon + Lounge in Greenwood Village, and was deeply touched that the boys chose to highlight a cause that helps women retain their hair and their dignity during cancer treatments.

Noah and Fred know that male lacrosse players aren’t always viewed as the most thoughtful, sensitive guys.

“The typical view is that lacrosse players are selfish, arrogant and full of themselves,” Noah said.

But through their Purpose4Pink project, the players have formed connections with all sorts of students and teachers throughout their school, including some who are dealing with cancer in their families. They’ve been selling pink bracelets to support breast cancer throughout the spring. And they recently sold out of hundreds of their fuchsia Purpose4Pink shirts before sponsoring a “Pink Out” event at their April 21 game against rival, Cherry Creek.

As a spring snowstorm hit during the second half of the game, the Arapahoe players came up one goal short in a 7-to-8 loss against Cherry Creek, but their project was a huge hit.

The stands were full of fans in pink hair, pink cowboy hats, pink parkas and pink fuzzy blankets. Above the stands, people donated $5 each to pose for silly selfies with a pink backdrop. (Fred’s brother, Harry, 16, has been pitching in too. A budding photographer and an Eagle Scout, Harry helped create the selfie station and also took photos at his brother’s game.)

The Purpose4Pink crew has raised more than $5,000 for UCHealth cancer patients who can’t afford cold capping or don’t have insurance coverage that pays for the treatments. Deb received care at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital on the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora. And Julie saw doctors at UCHealth Highlands Ranch Hospital. Both women have gone through treatments at the UCHealth Cancer Center at Highlands Ranch.

Arapahoe lacrosse players: ‘We don’t fit the stereotype of people who would help breast cancer patients.’

Fred and Noah have played lacrosse together since the first grade. They happen to live in the same Centennial neighborhood, and their backyards face one another. They’ve always loved lacrosse, and both are looking forward to playing in college.

The impact their project is having on their community has left them stunned and thrilled.

“Nobody in our class has ever done something with cancer or a terminal illness. We’re the first to do this,” Fred said. “One of the reasons we’ve had such success is that we’re a group of lacrosse boys. We don’t necessarily fit the stereotype of people who would try to help breast cancer patients. We’ve caught people by surprise. Our cause has spread like wildfire. We’ve had unbelievable support in the school.”

The boys started brainstorming about their project during first semester.

“Then Fred and I realized we both wanted to do something with breast cancer and we got Tommy and Thaddeus on board,” Noah said.

“One of the things lacrosse has taught me is that you can’t do everything by yourself. You need to have the support of others. That’s what has led us to success in lacrosse. And when you’re having success, it’s important to help other people, and it will always come full circle,” Fred said.

Noah was with his mom when she got the call from her doctor confirming she had breast cancer.

“Seeing her go through that, and helping her with the process, you realize that cancer affects a lot more than the person who has cancer,” Noah said. “Both of our moms are very healthy people. It can happen to anyone. We’re trying to raise awareness that you have to take advantage of every moment in life.”

The boys decided to focus on cold-capping so they could support breast cancer patients in a targeted, unique way.

“A big part of what we saw our moms going through was dealing with mental health and confidence,” Noah said. “Going through chemotherapy, a lot of women lose their hair, and that can be part of losing mental health.”

One of Julie’s doctors is cancer specialist Dr. Radhika Acharya. She’s in awe of the young men.

“It’s amazing that high school students are doing this. It’s really sensitive of them to realize that the cold capping is about more than keeping your hair. It’s about the whole person,” said Acharya, who is also chief of oncology for the Highlands Ranch Cancer Center and an assistant professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

“When you lose your hair, you feel like cancer is your identity,” Acharya said. “The DigniCap (the type of cold cap used at Highlands Ranch) affords women the freedom not to feel like a cancer patient and to be able to go to work and not answer a thousand questions.

“Women can decide who they want to tell and when they want to tell,” she said.

“It’s extraordinarily remarkable that these young men are so in tune with women to the extent that they would take on this project. It’s a beautiful thing,” Acharya said.

Tough cold capping treatments helped patient keep all of her hair

Like many people, Fred’s mom, Julie, was catching up on health care appointments last year that she had missed earlier in the pandemic.

That included getting a mammogram last May.

A single mom of two, Julie felt fine before the procedure.

“I didn’t have any inkling that anything was wrong,” Julie said.

But after the mammogram, her health care team asked her to come back for an ultrasound, then a challenging MRI.

“That was a tough day for me. I’m not claustrophobic, but you’re face down and you can’t move,” Julie said.

Julie was about to give up on the MRI when her technicians finished. She was relieved to be done with the procedure, but then had to face bad news.

“They discovered two small Stage I lesions,” Julie said.

Her doctors recommended surgery first followed by chemotherapy.

“I had to have a mastectomy on the right side and decided to do both breasts,” Julie said.

After surgery, as Julie discussed chemotherapy options with her team, she decided to do cold capping.

“I didn’t want to look sick. I felt like if I saw myself in the mirror and looked sick, it would make me feel sicker,” Julie said.

“After mastectomy, you feel a sense of loss. You have to grieve over that,” Julie said. “I felt like if I lost my hair too, I would lose my sense of self.”

A kind, compassionate infusion nurse named Monica Ferdig helped Julie navigate every single chemotherapy appointment for 12 weeks straight.

On Wednesdays, Julie arrived at the cancer center, and Ferdig painstakingly tucked each piece of Julie’s hair into the tight-fitting cap.

“It was like a workout to get that cap on me properly, but she wanted it to be perfect,” Julie said.

“Monica knew how important it was for me to keep my hair, as it would enable me to keep my cancer journey private,” Julie said. “She helped me through everything and was such a good sounding board.”

Ferdig warns patients that cold capping is typically painful and challenging.

“It’s a huge commitment for these patients,” Ferdig said. “We have to put the cap on 30 minutes before the chemo starts. They wear it throughout, then it has to stay on for 90 minutes to three hours afterwards. It’s very uncomfortable. We’re freezing the scalp to cause vasoconstriction so the chemo doesn’t penetrate the cells in the hair follicles.”

For patients who are motivated to do the extra work, cold capping can be a good option.

“It can help people maintain a sense of normalcy in their everyday lives,” said Ferdig.

Julie was highly motivated and got a great outcome.

“DigniCap considers it a success if the patient keeps 50% of their hair. Julie’s results were absolutely incredible,” Ferdig said. “She had to do a lot of work at home and was very diligent on her part. She had some of the best results I’ve ever seen.”

Each week when Julie returned for chemotherapy and still had hair on her head, the women high-fived one another.

Ferdig has worked her entire nursing career — more than 22 years — as an oncology nurse. Ferdig’s grandmother got sick with cancer when Ferdig was in high school. Ferdig helped care for her grandmother and decided to become a nurse so she could help other families coping with cancer.

“It’s who I am. The patients are going through a very volatile time and have very little control,” Ferdig said. “I love making their day and their experience a little better.”

Julie’s initial impulse was to keep her cancer journey private, but soon, she felt the love from her community and the parents from Fred’s lacrosse team.

“With the boys doing their project, we are surrounded by so much care, concern and thoughtfulness. We’ve been through so much as Arapahoe parents. First, we had to deal with COVID and had to figure out how our kids were going to learn math remotely,” Julie said.

Then came breast cancer.

“Our group of parents stepped up so much. I had food and flowers and little gifts like PJs all wrapped in pretty pink bows left on my front porch,” Julie said. “And I received a ton of cards. The cards especially helped me get through everything. I loved reading the thoughtful words. They gave me such strength.”

So did her significant other, Dave Kavalec, who like Julie, is 50. Dave sat in on the majority of Julie’s chemo treatments, carrying in the duffle bags packed with DigniCap equipment and extra blankets to keep her warm during cold capping. In addition to wearing the cooling cap, Julie also wore cold packs on her hands and feet to prevent neuropathy, which can be a side effect of certain chemo drugs. Dave was responsible for strapping on the cold socks and mitts and charging up the electric blanket.

And her fellow lacrosse mom and neighbor, Deb, became an invaluable resource since she was a couple of months further along in her breast cancer treatments.

As the Arapahoe lacrosse team became state champions, Deb Hilgert dealt with a difficult cancer diagnosis

Deb received her breast cancer diagnosis last spring just as her son, Noah, and the Arapahoe team were on the verge of winning state championships.

It was a time of both joy and fear.  At first, Deb tried to downplay her struggle.

“It was such an exciting time. We decided as a family that people didn’t need to know,” she said.

But Noah made it clear that his mom’s cancer journey was on his mind.

“He came home one day, got out some pink markers and drew pink breast cancer ribbons on his shoulder pads,” Deb said.

He wore the iconic breast cancer symbols under his jersey, but Deb was deeply touched that her son was willing to be vulnerable and courageous as a sign of his support for her.

“Noah and Fred are at a tricky age. They feel like adults who can handle things, but they’re kids too. And they’re scared,” Deb said. “Breast cancer can be a tough subject. It’s not something we’re all comfortable talking about.”

As the boys’ project evolved this year, Deb and Julie both had to follow in their sons’ footsteps and open up more.

“The boys showed courage in stepping up and integrating breast cancer into their classwork and also in lacrosse, which is their life,” Deb said. “That is a powerful and bold statement. They wanted to feel heard and seen and wanted to support the community.”

Arapahoe lacrosse mom: ‘Get screened and advocate for yourself.’

Deb went through a rough journey to get a proper diagnosis.

She was at her salon doing a blow dry for a client when she started feeling terrible. She wondered if she had appendicitis. Her husband, Tim Hilgert, and their daughter, Karson, took her to the ER, where she learned she had a ruptured ovarian cyst that thankfully was not serious. The radiologist, however, also spotted a nodule at the base of her right breast and urged her to follow up.

Deb had to wait a while for an appointment at a stand-alone breast imaging center.

Afterwards, she received what she thought was good news.

“It was clear. I was super excited,” Deb said.

Then, she looked over the report in her health records and discovered that the technicians had done an exam on the wrong breast.

“It was for the left breast, not the right,” she said.

The health workers who had made the error brought her back in for an ultrasound on the correct breast.

“There was a tumor,” Deb said.

The initial misdiagnosis was terrible and taught Deb the necessity of advocating for yourself and carefully reviewing medical records.

“It’s incredibly important for us to read our reports and understand them and to advocate for ourselves,” Deb said. “We have choices when it comes to being screened and diagnosed. My tumor didn’t show up on a mammogram. Had I not gotten an ultrasound, I wouldn’t have known I had breast cancer. It’s important to stay on top of your health.”

Deb, 49, soon started receiving care at the University of Colorado Cancer Center, where she met an amazing breast cancer nurse navigator, Jane Jachowicz, who guided her through the difficult process.

“She kept me grounded, sane and positive. She walked me through everything,” Deb said of Jane.

Deb had surgery to remove the cancerous tissue, then later went through reconstructive surgery and radiation, which proved more challenging than she expected.

“The radiated tissue hardens and shrinks. The skin can burn and be sensitive for months. Fair-skinned people can have oozing,” Deb said. “Julie and I say this a lot: ‘Breast cancer doesn’t just go away. There are so many different layers for the patients and the family.’”

Jachowicz has been a nurse navigator on and off for 20 years and loves the work.

“I get the opportunity to totally change people’s lives,” Jachowicz said. “Through education, psychological support, resource support and just listening, you get to be part of someone’s journey and help them see challenges in a positive light.”

Jachowicz has helped the young men with their Purpose4Pink project and expects their work to have countless ripple effects.

“They have shown their moms that they love them. It’s a sign of strength that they’re doing this. They have weathered the storm,” Jachowicz said. “Not only are they able to celebrate their moms, but they’re also giving back. That — and their moms’ courage — are what make them outstanding.”

While Julie and Deb are far from done with their cancer ordeals, they’re focusing on the positive and are staying busy supporting their families and the Arapahoe team.

Deb bought her salon in 2019 just before the pandemic forced shutdowns. Right about the time that business was beginning to get back to normal, she got hit with her breast cancer diagnosis.

“It’s been devastating, but now we get to rebuild,” Deb said. “I have an amazing team. They handled things for me when I couldn’t be there. When bad things happen, you look around and see how many people care about you.”

Both women have learned to accept help from friends and strangers to say “yes” to their sons.

“The boys are being really courageous,” Deb said.

Noah is headed to play lacrosse and study political science next year at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction.

Fred is eager to play lacrosse next year at Christopher Newport University in Virginia.

Along with being a talented lacrosse player, he is also a Daniels Fund Scholar.

“We’re so proud of them. They’re good boys,” Julie said. “The Purpose4Pink project has brought us our silver lining. I love their enthusiasm. They’re learning so much from this project. And I love that they talk openly about breast cancer as it only helps us all heal.”