Real cowboys wear pink

Dwayne Erickson, Calgary Herald
Published: Thursday, November 08, 2007
 
There is probably no other sport that has been more proactive in raising funds for breast cancer research than professional rodeo.
 
There are 650 sanctioned rodeos on the continent and most of them include a "tough enough to wear pink" performance in their programs.
 
The Canadian Finals Rodeo, which started a five-day run Wednesday night at Rexall Place, is no exception.
Its fundraiser takes place tonight.
 
But Tyson Durfey, the reigning Canadian champion calf roper going into the $1.158-million showdown, will be wearing a pink shirt with the breast cancer ribbon on each shoulder during all six performances.
 
And he will do the same next month during all 10 rounds of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (world championships) in Las Vegas.
 
The 23-year-old Missouri born-and-raised cowboy, who rodeos out of Colbert, Wash., isn't just drawing attention to the issue; he's contributing financially.
 
"I've been setting aside 15 per cent of all the sponsorship money I hustle to donate to breast cancer research," he said. "At this point, I've saved close to $4,000.
 
"I just got the idea about a month ago and I plan to continue on with it all of next year. Maybe, by the end of 2008, it will amount to a pretty sizable contribution."
 
Cancer has touched the Durfey family.
 
"My stepdad Dean McDaniel struggled with lymphoma for a long time and there was a point where he was given only so much time to live," Durfey recalled, "but he pulled through it.
 
"And I've had other aunts, uncles and family members who have dealt with cancer."
 
A year ago, Durfey's dad and stepmom were in the stands for every performance of the CFR. They won't be here this week.
 
"My stepmom, Mary Beth, had surgery on Oct. 17 to remove two grapefruit-sized tumours from her ovaries," Durfey reported. "Things were up in the air for two or three months. She's been real sick and wasn't herself.
 
"It was one of those things that made me feel weak at the knees.
 
"Fortunately, the tumours were found to be benign. She's in recovery now and will be for about two months. It was a full-blown, major surgery."
 
It was during her struggles that Durfey called some friends and got a wardrobe of pink shirts donated.
 
"I just got to thinking of ways to help out a little bit and that's what I came up with," he said.
 
"I used to wear a pink shirt when it was called for, but I never really thought much about the deal until my stepmom started having health issues. And it affected my dad; he was having a tough time with it.
 
"It got me thinking more and more about the breast cancer movement. To be honest with you, I think every cowboy knows what 'tough enough to wear pink' represents, but for those who haven't had family issues with the disease, that's kind of about the end of it."