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Orting, WA community rallies around volleyball coach on third cancer battle
In Orting, the community is rallying around a beloved high school volleyball coach battling cancer for the third time. Gariann Frey, who has dedicated herself to helping her student-athletes on and off the court, is now the one receiving support.
ORTING, Wash. - Every 14 seconds, a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer somewhere in the world, according to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
In Orting, the community there is rallying around the high school volleyball coach as she battles cancer for the third time.
What they're saying:
Gariann Frey is the Orting High School Volleyball Coach and Club Director at Rainier Volleyball Club and was diagnosed with breast cancer. "Gariann is a woman who has given the shirt off her back, money out of her pocket, to make sure kids can play, I don't think a lot of people know how much she's invested in making sure opportunities happen for kids," Treva Clay, Operations at the Rainier Valley Club said. "This is her third battle with cancer," Clay said.
When she was in her early 20s, she had Hodgkin’s Lymphoma that recurred. To help, Clay and the Rainier Volleyball Club started a GoFundMe to help the coach who they say has helped them beyond the court.
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"When she first started, her insurance was not going to cover," Clay said. "It was going to be all out of network, so the costs were going to be over $100,000 it was going to be ridiculous. but also, just, you know, medical procedures alone, even when they're covered, your copays add up your gas, add up your expenses, of all the different things that you don't realize you need."
"The support and the love and the prayers and just everything that I’ve been getting since I was diagnosed is, I can't even put into words how much it means to me and how grateful I am for everyone," Frey said.
Orting volleyball coach battles cancer for a third time.
Local perspective:
Fox 13 talked with the coach as she was a couple of weeks out from chemo. "This is probably the best week I’ve had so far," she said. "I'm feeling pretty solid, I've been to work all week and this week, I've been at practice and a game."
Gariann Frey with the volleyball team
However, she says chemo starts again on Friday. "I know it's going to hit me again, and I’ll be down for a little bit," Frey said.
She told FOX 13 she’s extremely grateful for all the support and love she’s received—even if she’s a little uncomfortable with all the attention.
"I’m typically a behind the scenes kind of person," Frey said. "To know that, I don't have to worry about how I’m going to pay for this or that and that things are taken care of, and then I can just go through this process and have a good, positive mental attitude, and be able to put my energy where it needs to be right now is amazing," Frey said.
As she fights cancer, she’s also fighting for everyone to take their health seriously. "Hopefully, this also helps other women, you know, make sure that they're getting their mammograms and their tests, and if they find something in their breast that they're getting it looked at," Frey said.
What's next:
On Sept. 29, the Orting High School Volleyball Team is hosting their annual ‘Dig pink’ night for Cancer Research and awareness through Fred Hutch and the Cancer Care Alliance. It’s a fundraiser that hits even closer to home this year as they rally behind their coach.
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