JOPLIN, MO.--- There have been many times Caitlyn Drake wished she could fight cancer with a few right hooks. Drake was diagnosed during her senior year at Joplin High School.
"It was hard for me. I missed most of my senior year. I missed my senior homecoming. I missed every single event that they had," says Caitlyn Drake.
The impact wasn't limited to her health and social life. Frequent doctors visits and trips to Children Mercy Hospital in Kansas City has put a dent in her family's pocketbook.
"I missed a lot of work paying the doctors bills, so this event will tremendously help with our financial problems," says Keith Drake, Father.
The whole family was thrilled when a fighter at a well known mixed martial arts event offered to sponsor Caitlyn.
"They are big fans of MMA, so I said, 'let's see what we can do.' We decided to make shirts and all the benefits go to her and her family," says Teejay Britton, Cage of Honor, Fighter.
Organizers say although this weekend's fight was planned as entertainment, they now hope it will also raise awareness about a very important cause.
"Cancer is something that is very real, and I think people underestimate it and it gets overlooked a lot of times. And I don't have much to give, I don't have much that I can do, but something that I love to do is fighting and we are just trying to help the best we can," says Britton.
Caitlyn, who has coined the phrase "Ready to fight, determined to win", says Cage of Honor represents more than just her battle with cancer.
"It's not just cancer that you have to fight in life, there's all kinds of cancers, there is all kinds of diseases, but there's battles like emotionally, mentally. It can go a long way, it doesn't just mean that you have to have a disease to say that you're fighting for something in your life," says Caitlyn.
Cage of Honor is this Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Neosho Civic Center. Tickets start at $20 and can be purchased online. If you would like to purchase a ticket, click here.
"It was hard for me. I missed most of my senior year. I missed my senior homecoming. I missed every single event that they had," says Caitlyn Drake.
The impact wasn't limited to her health and social life. Frequent doctors visits and trips to Children Mercy Hospital in Kansas City has put a dent in her family's pocketbook.
"I missed a lot of work paying the doctors bills, so this event will tremendously help with our financial problems," says Keith Drake, Father.
The whole family was thrilled when a fighter at a well known mixed martial arts event offered to sponsor Caitlyn.
"They are big fans of MMA, so I said, 'let's see what we can do.' We decided to make shirts and all the benefits go to her and her family," says Teejay Britton, Cage of Honor, Fighter.
Organizers say although this weekend's fight was planned as entertainment, they now hope it will also raise awareness about a very important cause.
"Cancer is something that is very real, and I think people underestimate it and it gets overlooked a lot of times. And I don't have much to give, I don't have much that I can do, but something that I love to do is fighting and we are just trying to help the best we can," says Britton.
Caitlyn, who has coined the phrase "Ready to fight, determined to win", says Cage of Honor represents more than just her battle with cancer.
"It's not just cancer that you have to fight in life, there's all kinds of cancers, there is all kinds of diseases, but there's battles like emotionally, mentally. It can go a long way, it doesn't just mean that you have to have a disease to say that you're fighting for something in your life," says Caitlyn.
Cage of Honor is this Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Neosho Civic Center. Tickets start at $20 and can be purchased online. If you would like to purchase a ticket, click here.
