A Pink Tribute on the Diamond
When the Big Rapids baseball squad took the field last weekend, the players arrived wearing pink shirts emblazoned with the name of their basketball coach and English teacher, Jessica Haist. The gesture, kept secret by the mothers of the team, turned a routine game into a moving tribute.
Haist, a longtime girls varsity basketball coach at Big Rapids High School and an English instructor, learned during the recent girls basketball season that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. The diagnosis came while she was still guiding her team through the final stretch of the season, adding a personal challenge to her professional responsibilities.
The idea for the pink shirts originated with the players' mothers, who wanted to surprise Haist with a visual reminder of the community's support. Their plan unfolded perfectly after the team completed a doubleheader sweep over Reed City, when a group picture was taken featuring Haist alongside the baseball players.
Haist was taken aback by the gesture, describing it as both surprising and deeply moving. The pink shirts bore her name, turning the athletes' act of solidarity into a personal emblem of hope and resilience.
She has since undergone surgery and is awaiting the final results of her treatment, but early detection has given her cause for optimism. Haist has used her platform to urge others to get mammograms, emphasizing that timely screening can change outcomes.
The community's response has been palpable. Students, fellow coaches, and even the school superintendent — her husband Tim Haist — have rallied behind her, underscoring the profound impact she has had on the district. John Raffel, the school's principal, praised the students' compassion, noting that the act reflects the tight‑knit spirit that defines Big Rapids.