A new cancer-support foundation is looking for soccer players of all ages to take the field next month in memory of Stephen Placencia, a Cienega High School soccer player whose life was cut short by the disease.
Stephen's parents, Vail residents Steve and Francie Placencia, began the Kick Cancer for Stephen Foundation Inc. this year — embarking on an endeavor that they had wanted to do since his death at age 16.
"We always wanted to do something to bring awareness to cancer, but he died in January (2008), and it wasn't until a year later that we felt that we could commit the time and energy to actually starting the foundation, only because it's very personal and very emotional to be able to do this," said Francie Placencia, the foundation's president.
The foundation, which is in the process of getting nonprofit status, is working to fund childhood cancer research, support families whose children have been diagnosed with or died of cancer and provide age-appropriate hospital activities for teenage patients.
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"Age-appropriate activities assist teenagers in coping during hospitalization," said Mary Celeste Stone, a certified child-life specialist at University Medical Center.
Activities provide normalization and socialization, give respite from boredom and loneliness, provide a diversion for anxieties related to upcoming procedures, and help patients calm down and feel more normal after procedures, she said.
Kick Cancer for Stephen will have its first fundraiser on June 26 and 27 — a three-on-three soccer tournament at Cienega High School, 12775 E. Mary Ann Cleveland Way, in Vail. The tournament is open to players from anywhere, not just the Vail area. The cost is $100 per team.
Cienega, where Stephen was on the soccer team, is sponsoring the event.
"I just want to do anything to honor Stephen and help his family raise money to fight cancer," said Cienega soccer coach Dean Nourse. He estimates that roughly 20 to 25 of the school's 40 or so soccer players will play in the tournament.
Cienega senior Andrew Crow, who was Stephen's friend, is one of them. "It helps the whole cause of awareness for cancer as a whole, and especially for kids," said Crow, 17.
His mother, Tammie Crow, is the treasurer of the foundation, which is made up of the Placencias' family members and friends, all working in their own ways to carry out the fundraiser.
"Basically we're just helping out any way we can with whatever they need," said Stephen's uncle, Sahuarita resident Dave Schlotterer. "We know he would have carried on for other people, so it's a way for us to help carry on for him."
Stephen was diagnosed with a rare liver cancer called fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma in February 2005, after undergoing surgery to remove a mass on his liver. After four months of chemotherapy, he was told he had no traceable cancer. The cancer returned in March 2006, and he underwent multiple surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation before he died.
For the Placencias, helping others who are fighting cancer is in turn helping them.
"For me, it's helping me cope, and I see something positive coming out of this," Francie Placencia said, "but we're doing it mostly in his honor, because he's touched so many lives and we want his spirit to be carried on."
If you go
• What: Kick Cancer for Stephen 3v3 Tournament
• When: 5 p.m. June 26-27
• Where: Cienega High School, 12775 E. Mary Ann Cleveland Way, Vail
• Cost: $100 per team. Checks should be made out to Cienega High School.
• Deadline to register: June 21
• For more information, including how to register: Go online to www.kickcancerforstephen.com or call 574-3570.
