OMAHA (KMTV) — The Creighton vs. Cancer Pink Out has been a tradition for 15 years. But it especially hits home for a member of CU’s dance team who is a childhood cancer survivor.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Creighton junior Genevieve Pietruszynski loves to dance, but early in life cancer put that in jeopardy.
At just four months old she was diagnosed with stage 4S neuroblastoma.
“It’s always been this part of my life and it’s kind of hard to think that I’ve been through something that a lot of people are so afraid of,” Pietruszynski said.
She, like so many others, is a survivor.
And the Creighton vs. Cancer game has been a highlight in her three years at the school.
“When I see everyone in that crowd wearing pink and standing up, it’s just a sense of relief and joy,” she said. “I know that it’s a really scary and horrible thing that’s led to this joy. It bubbles up in me. I just feel a surge of …relief almost, and happiness that people are caring and kind, and they will stand up against cancer.”
When she takes the floor with the dance team, she’s reminded of her strength.
“Just the physicality of dance has allowed me to prove to myself that I am capable,” Pietruszynski said. “I can push past any physical barrier I think might exist.”
Genevieve has been cancer-free for almost 20 years and cherishes moments like the Pink Out that help create a sense of community.
“I definitely have struggled with the concept of ‘why did I survive and others didn’t?’ she said. “And I think that the Pink Out game helps me celebrate that survivorship and helps me know that there’s a reason that I survived, and I just really appreciate the love and support.”
Genevieve volunteers with an organization called Children's Cancer connection in Iowa and hopes to one day become a pediatric oncologist.
