The last week of January will find Russellville High School and its basketball teams supporting the fight against two forms of cancer, one of which has struck very close to home.
On Tuesday, Jan. 27, the school will hold Breast Cancer Awareness Night for a Girl/Boy doubleheader against Springfield High School. This will be a "Pink Out" game. “We are asking that all fans to wear the color pink in support of Breast Cancer Awareness,” says Athletic Director Calvin Head.
Then on Friday, Jan. 30, the RHS Panthers and Lady Panthers will host South Warren for a G/B doubleheader, starting at 6 p.m. This game will be the basketball homecoming game. The homecoming festivities will take place in between the girls and boys games.
In addition to the homecoming activities, this game will also be used as a Lymphoma Awareness Night in support of Dillon Porter, a current RHS student, who was diagnosed with Lymphoma this past fall and is currently taking treatments. In support of Dillon and his family and to increase Lymphoma Awareness, the RHS athletic department is planning a "Green Out" for this game. All Panther fans are asked to wear Lime Green to the game that night.
Dillon Porter is a freshman who has been involved in countless activities at the school throughout his middle school years and now in high school. He’s played a variety of sports, is a member of the band, is involved in academic programs, and was named Football Homecoming Prince this fall. Not long after he has played soccer this fall, a mass was found in his chest, and it grew rapidly. He was diagnosed with this form of cancer and treatments began immediately.
Even though he takes chemotherapy treatments each week, he still plays in the band and attends as many school functions as he can, often wearing a mask to ward off germs. He’s also active in the Crittenden Drive Church of Christ Youth Group, and has missed very few church services since being released from Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital.
Pictures abound on Facebook of a multitude of people ranging from young kids who look up to Dillon to the fathers of his friends who have cut their hair short or shaved their heads in his honor.
"Team Dillon" t-shirts can be ordered ahead of time to wear to the game. “All proceeds will go to Dillon and his family. Shirt orders can be placed through Mrs. Juli Link in the RMS front office or through Mrs. Tracy Naylor at RHS. You must pay for your shirt upon ordering,” Head notes. “We encourage the Russellville Community and all of our Panther Fans to participate in this event.”
Dillon is the son of Donnie and Polly Porter, the brother of RHS student Derrick Porter, and the grandson of Roger and Merry Lee Brewer. He is the cousin of Logan County students Sierra and Tanner Morrow and Jackson, Audrey and Maria Wells. His parents have owned and operated Logan County Gymnastics for more than 20 years, and Donnie also works at Logan Aluminum.