Colleen Meyers’ Beautiful Tribute to Marisa is the Act of a Remarkable Woman

Colleen Meyers, who is as beloved as any of the hundreds of educators I have been privileged to know during my quarter century of covering scholastic sports, has served as a volunteer cheerleading coach for the Snapple Bowl since its inception 24 years ago.

An immensely popular teacher and cheerleading coach at Spotswood High School, Colleen is a breast cancer survivor, having beaten a disease with which she was diagnosed in December 2014.

Colleen is also the amazing woman who has handcrafted dozens of gorgeous purple (my daughter’s favorite color) hair ribbons that cheerleaders will wear in honor of Marisa during this year’s big game (giving her an omnipresence), which will be contested July 20 at Kean University’s Alumni Stadium.

On the same day of the 2015 Snapple Bowl, which is an annual all-star football game between recently graduated seniors from Middlesex and Union counties that has raised nearly $600,000 for charity, Colleen underwent a chemotherapy treatment.

She would not allow fatigue to interfere with her participation in the event, which benefits Children’s Specialized Hospital in Mountainside and the Lakeview School in Edison, a program of the New Jersey Institute for Disabilities.

Colleen coached with the same unbridled enthusiasm she has displayed on the sidelines since the game was first contested in 1994. I distinctly remember her remarkable strength and grace on that July evening when she confided in myself and game director Marcus Borden that she had just undergone another round of chemotherapy. I vividly recall Colleen being slightly winded after walking to the stadium from the parking lot and wanting to take a moment out of the sun, which was blazing in the late afternoon sky when she arrived. We stood along the fence of the Middlesex sideline in the shade. Colleen, who I’ve known for more than two decades, was her usual charismatic and ever-optimistic self. Few knew back then the very private battle she was fighting.

“The casual observer would not have known what she was going through, but certainly people close to her knew she was going through a challenge in her life,” Marcus told me a couple of years ago. “She didn’t want you to be sympathetic to her. She wanted you to be someone that encouraged her and let her know she could beat this. My hat’s off to her. There were times I could tell she was struggling, but she was not about to back down from the affliction, nor was she about to back down from the challenge she put forth to the Middlesex County girls to take their abilities to another level.”

The Cushingoid effect of high-dose steroids – which Marisa knew all too well will leave a patient’s face swollen – and hair loss from chemotherapy did little to damage Meyers’ indomitable spirit or wipe away her omnipresent smile. Colleen’s disposition – at least publicly – never changed.

During a press conference last month at North Brunswick High School for upcoming Snapple Bowl XXIV, Colleen presented to me a shadow box with a photo of Marisa and a specially designed hair ribbon bearing Marisa’s initials.

The beautifully arranged shadow box will forever hold a special place in my heart, not solely because of what the contents symbolize, but because of the admiration and respect I have for the remarkable woman who made the gift.