Jessica Bailey is no stranger to the bright lights of Alabama’s annual Power of Pink meet, but she’s not a gymnast and has never competed for Alabama.
Bailey graduated from The University of Alabama last December, despite being diagnosed with breast cancer halfway through her last semester of college. She found support from the Alabama gymnastics team and will be honored for a second straight time before Friday’s meet.
“I had just graduated earlier that month, and I had missed out on two months of my last semester,” Bailey said of last year, when she walked out with then-senior Marissa Gutierrez during introductions. “It was great to see [Alabama coach Sarah Patterson] and the team bringing awareness to this, to the University and especially young people, since I got diagnosed at a young age.”
This year is the 10th year of Power of Pink, an annual gymnastics meet that raises awareness for breast cancer and money for the DCH Breast Cancer Fund. Patterson and the team started a tradition five years ago of having each gymnast introduced with a local breast cancer survivor.
While the survivors come from all walks of life, Bailey was the first UA student to be recognized.
“My favorite part is that when [the gymnasts] step out onto the ‘A’ and they’re introduced, it’s not about Diandra Milliner being a national champion,” Patterson said. “It’s that Diandra Milliner will be with Jessica Bailey.”
Bailey had bone cancer twice when she was younger, but she said her breast cancer diagnosis was the most shocking, mainly because of her age.
“This one hit a little closer to home, and it was tough because I had my life disrupted because of it, and I didn’t get to do all the things I wanted to at UA,” she said. “But, like I said, the support was really great, and my teachers really worked with me to get me finished with school. I didn’t think that I would get diagnosed so young, but it’s important that everyone realizes it can happen to anybody.”
Bailey was diagnosed in October 2012 and flew back to California for treatment. While she was back home, her teachers worked with her, and she was able to come back with two weeks left and finish her major in studio art.
That’s when Patterson and the gymnastics team stepped in.
They honored her before the 2013 meet and have stayed in touch with her through the offseason and into this year. Bailey said the team sends her cards and team posters as she goes through treatment.
“It’s been really great. It’s really helped me stay optimistic,” Bailey said. “They’ve got such good hearts that, anyone that’s going through a tough time, they’re always really supportive. All the people that are involved in the pink meet have all been really, really great.”
The Power of Pink meet has grown over the 10 years since Patterson started the event at the University. Nearly $1.5 million has been raised to help West Alabama women through its various fundraising events.
“It’s probably the most meaningful to me for the reason that it does things for other people,” Patterson said. “You can count your championship rings, you can look at all the plaques that you have, you can look at the plaza. But how do you place a price tag, a ranking, on giving to a young mother of two, who doesn’t have anything and is a survivor, because she got the help she needed?”
Bailey’s story shows that breast cancer can affect anyone at any age. While she was able to get treatment – she said all she has left is a final reconstructive surgery – Bailey still warns college-aged women to be prepared.
“There’s no way to pick and choose who gets cancer or anything like that,” Bailey said. “So it’s really important to stay insured and make that a priority, because it can happen at any time, and it’s really devastating if you don’t have a good support network or a good employer or a good health care provider.
“It’s important that you’re aware of it and constantly checking, because you never know what can happen and you don’t want to be caught off guard. I was lucky that I wasn’t caught off guard.”
