Why Elder and Moeller volleyball wore red for heart disease awareness
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When the Elder and Moeller volleyball teams met on March 22, the usual purple or yellow expected in warmups were traded out for red.
The idea stemmed from Amanda Jacobs Luebbe, one of four American Heart Association Women of Impact nominees for Greater Cincinnati. With her nomination comes a nine-week competition for raising funds and awareness for heart health within her community.
Along with collecting money, a goal was to get students to think about a close person with heart issues and talk with parents about heart-related problems that run in families as the knowledge of family related problems could be life-saving down the line.
“I think anyone you talk to knows someone that is affected,” Jacobs Luebbe said. “That’s why we wanted to do the T-shirts. Have the boys write down who they’re playing for. Some of them might not have known the history of their own family that may have heart disease.”
For Jacobs Luebbe, spreading the message of heart health had its perfect partners in the Elder and Moeller volleyball programs.
“Obviously with (husband and Elder assistant) Ben being a coach here at Elder, I though it was a great opportunity to fundraise during a game,” Jacobs Luebbe said. “There’s a big gym full of people. Activity is important for heart health and I though it would be a great opportunity to raise awareness, especially with Coach Tierney affected as well.”
Still on the sidelines 17 years later
Elder head coach Sean Tierney took over the program in 2003 and has remained there since, with the exception of the 2007 season. In January of that year, Tierney underwent a heart transplant after a sudden and quick decline in his heart health.
At the time of the transplant, Tierney’s wife, Robyn, was six months pregnant with their son Tommy who was born two months after the transplant. Now 17 years later, Tierney coaches Tommy who is a junior for the Panthers.
“Number one, it is just a joy to coach your son,” Coach Tierney said. “Number two, recognizing that I could’ve not been here at all brings a extra level of gratitude and appreciation. It’s something that is a blessing in my life for certain.”
In a night that was meant to foster family-to-family conversations on health, the moment wasn’t lost on Tommy Tierney.
“It is really special to me because of what my dad went through,” Tommy Tierney said. “I know its special to everyone else, too. Everyone goes through that kind of stuff so I feel like it was a really special night and I’m happy with the crowd and how everything worked out.”
A senior project starts its all
Both the Elder and Moeller coaching staffs contain people who have dealt with the heart issues, but the connection still comes back to Jacobs Luebbe. Jacobs Luebbe was an eighth grader at Our Lady of Victory when her mother, Sheila, died of a sudden heart attack at age 49.
“She had no knowledge of any heart disease or risk of heart disease herself,” Jacobs Luebbe said. “I truly think that if she knew the signs any symptoms prior…
Read More: Why Elder and Moeller volleyball wore red for heart disease awareness 2024-03-30 14:49:46