Extra Effort: Brimfield’s CJ Troxell brings family cancer fight to school, raising $5,500

BRIMFIELD, Ill. (WMBD/WYZZ) — Senior CJ Troxell had an idea.

“I love the sports of basketball,” Troxell said. “It’s not really what I’m pursuing after high school so I knew I could go out with a bang with something like this.”

Troxell is a multi-sport athlete at Brimfield, a standout in softball and basketball. She had a multi-faceted plan to use sports to help in the fight against breast cancer.

She was motivated to plan a “Pink Night” at her Brimfield High School when her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer last February.

“I was scared, I didn’t know how serious it was. I didn’t want to go through high school without my mom,” said Troxell. “My father also passed away from breast cancer. So it definitely runs i my family.”

Troxell sent out letters to businesses in and around Brimfield and received over 30 donations of items for a silent auction. She helped organize a 50-50 raffle for Brimfield’s game against rival Elmwood on Feb. 5.

Her girl’s basketball team sold pink t-shirts, she and her teammates wore pink socks and pink ribbons in the hair ties. Their efforts raised over $5,500 for the Komen Foundation to help battle breast cancer.

“She’s a great student, she’s in softball, she’s in travel softball, she plays basketball, she’s got a lot on her plate,” said Brimfield girls basketball coach Josh McKown. “And she tackled this on top of it.”

Troxell said she came up with the idea of a Pink Night in the fall after she said nobody at the school could remember the last time Brimfield had a similar fundraiser.

“It makes me so happy that people are so supportive. I didn’t realize how many people were effected and would want to come together and help us with this,” Troxell said.

She hopes this isn’t the last time there’s a Pink Night in Brimfield.

“We are really hoping this becomes an annual event but also happens in other sports,” Troxell said. “And not just with breast cancer awareness but with other (causes) that need to have awareness brought to them.”

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CIProud.com.