By Taylor VanHoy ’25
From personal experience, Erin Verch knew how difficult it is to go to school every day knowing your loved one is sick with breast cancer, and talking about it seemed taboo. Erin’s mother was first diagnosed with breast cancer after her battle with colon cancer, when Erin was in seventh grade. Erin grew up with a lot of her family being affected by many different types of cancers, and she learned very early on how cancer affects a person, a family, and a community. “But I didn’t discuss it with any of my friends at school because no one talked about it, and I was worried they wouldn’t understand, or I would be the only one,” Erin says.
Meanwhile, Tara Verch was very outspoken about her cancer journey. She made speeches at fundraiser events, such as Cycle for Survival, raising money for rare cancer research. She met with people in her community who are affected by similar cancers as hers and gave them advice and encouragement along their journeys. She went through so many treatments, hospital visits, and complicated, painful surgeries and yet she never stopped smiling and taking care of Erin and her siblings. “Between having a part of her colon removed to having a mastectomy recently, she continues to be the bravest person I know and the strongest person I will ever meet,” Erin reflects.
Erin struggled to deal with the isolation she felt. “I really wished that someone at school told me that they sympathized with my situation and that they understood because they are affected. So many people are affected by breast cancer and because we hardly ever talk about it at school, it can feel like you are alone in what you are going through. And I wish someone had made me feel less alone,” Erin reveals. “I knew that I couldn’t dwell on the past, and I needed to talk about it now because if I waited for someone else to do it, no one would.”
Erin’s mother, who she says is never afraid to speak out, encouraged her to email the administration at St. Paul’s about the idea for a “pink day” on campus to honor those in the St. Paul’s community affected by breast cancer. “They responded right away and loved the idea and appointed me as the student to plan it. I had no idea how to plan an event, or organize anything, not to mention I was terrified to say the least,” Erin says. But she knew that this cause was bigger than herself, and that she owed it to every person who feels alone to try to change the attitude around cancer.
Erin goes through a lengthy process to organize Pink Day each year. “The first thing I do is meet with Mrs. Karpovich to get a date on the calendar for all-school Pink Day. Usually, this happens around February with Pink Day being in October. Then, I have a meeting with ‘the team’ as I call them: Mrs. Karpovich, Ms. Murray, and Chaplain Gathman.” The team meets a few times in the spring to review the details, which vary each year, and finalize the schedule. For example, this year Pink Day featured a moment of silence and a guest speaker from Johns Hopkins. With the help of Chaplain Gathman, Erin introduced a pink ribbon poster in the chapel of SPSG as a place where students can write the names of loved ones who have been affected by breast cancer for the community to pray for.
At the beginning of the school year, Erin also reached out to the athletic directors, Mrs. Howland and Mr. Hatton, to organize pink games. These included players wearing pink warm-up shirts, pink ribbons at games, pink socks, pink eye black, etc. – anything to raise awareness and show audience members, both from SPSG and from other teams, that they weren’t alone. Erin also enlisted the help of the captains of varsity and junior varsity fall sports to spread the word about the games. Additionally, Erin made announcements at the SPSG and SP middle and upper schools to explain the significance of Pink Day.
Erin expresses heartfelt thanks to all those who helped make her vision a reality. “I am eternally grateful for all of the help that the team – Mrs. Karpovich, Ms. Murray, and Chaplain Gathman – have done for me and for this pink day,” she says. “Without their support, approval, and guidance, Pink Day would not be possible. They have sent me countless emails and had so many meetings to help me make this day a success and a moving event for many people.”
Erin is also the founder of the upcoming Breast Cancer Awareness Club which will educate and spread awareness for all those affected by Breast Cancer. The goal of the BCA is to organize Pink Day for next year and continue to educate and support the St. Paul’s Community. Erin realized that in order for Pink Day to survive, spreading the responsibility among a group rather than just one person would be more practical. Current sophomores and juniors, Avery Lippe ’26, Lely Yanega’25, and Reese Flaherty ’25 stepped up to help. “They have done an amazing job helping me with announcements at prayers and handing out ribbons this year, and they will be club presidents of the Breast Cancer Awareness Club next year and will have the leadership role in organizing pink day,” Erin explains. “I am very confident in Avery, Lely and Reese and I’m so excited to see what amazing things they will accomplish next year.”
With the start of the BCA, St. Paul’s will continue the “pink day” tradition that Erin envisioned. “Pink Day has allowed me to be vocal about a topic so close to my heart, as well as be the advocate that I wish I had when I was younger. It has given me the opportunity to connect with so many members of our community and bond with classmates that I don’t know super well, and underclassmen, because we all understand the impact that this disease has on families and communities and we all want to help each other get through it,” says Erin. She is amazed at the tremendous support Pink Day has gathered. Now, there is space for students and faculty members to express the difficulties and the harsh realities that breast cancer creates.
Erin is satisfied with the outcomes of her hard work. “I hope to make at least one person at St. Paul’s feel heard and less alone. From the beginning, when I started in my sophomore year, I wanted to make that one shy person in the back of your class feel like they weren’t the only one going through this.” She explains, “It’s so simple, but just the act of seeing others standing behind a cause, that they might know you are impacted by, is so powerful and supportive. I should know I was that shy girl in the back of the class, and every year I have organized pink day, I have felt like I wasn’t on this team by myself, but we were all fighting against breast cancer together.”
If you know or see Erin Verch on our campus, be sure to applaud her amazing achievements surrounding Pink Day. Erin proved to many that if you have a goal, you can and should chase after it. The outcome will always be rewarding. We applaud all those who assisted in creating this tradition and especially Erin and Tara Verch who shared stories surrounding their journey against Breast Cancer.
Pink Day Photo Collage by Taylor VanHoy ’25
Here is some advice from Tara Verch for anyone affected by Breast cancer:
“First of all, make sure that you have a strong breast cancer team. A strong medical team is the first step. Be open and honest with your family as to what to expect, you are all going through it together, and there is no right or wrong way to go through treatment and surgeries. It is good to be open to your family, to communicate and talk about it. It also helps children to understand better that they are a part of the team too.”
“The third thing is that people are going to want to help. They are going to want to help with rides and meals, and you will need to let your guard down. They are part of your journey and are helping you and making it easier for you. Because breast cancer affects so many people, there are so many breast cancer support groups, and organizations to help with funding and financial support. So, no one feels like they are battling alone.” “When you accept help, you are allowing other people to join your journey and that benefits everyone around you because you are all a part of a team, and you now have all of these people around you to help you. And it helps the people who support you because they feel like they are helping you. It makes someone’s day a little better, however small, it still matters, and it still makes a difference.” — Tara Verch (Erin’s mother).
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