Doyle Somerby Dedicates October to Breast Cancer Awareness

Oct 31, 2019

For the second year in a row, Cleveland Monsters defenseman Doyle Somerby focused his attention in the month of October on the color pink in support of breast cancer awareness. Through the American Cancer Society’s Real Men Wear Pink campaign, Somerby has used his platform to help support a cause that is important to the people around him.

Somerby was introduced to the campaign in 2018 by his girlfriend, Celia, whose mother beat breast cancer, and a mutual friend who works at the American Cancer Society and lost her mother to the disease. At the end of the 2018 campaign, Somerby raised $11,636 and finished second in Cleveland’s city-wide initiative.  This season, the third-year Cleveland blue-liner entered October with the hope that his personal connection with Monsters fans would help raise funds and Somerby was pleasantly surprised by the community reception.

“The experience opened my eyes to breast cancer’s wide-ranging impact on the people around me and how much our support means to all of them,” Somerby stated on his Real Men Wear Pink page. “Since I'm able to make a difference within my community, I believe I have an obligation to do so.”

The Marblehead, MA native began each of his two Real Men Wear Pink campaigns with the plan to share daily pictures on his social media accounts of himself wearing pink items in an effort to draw attention to the fundraiser. Somerby received help from different business, as well as community members, in order to keep his wardrobe full.

In addition to helping with his need for pink clothing, friends and fans continually provided suggestions and ideas for messaging on his platforms. Painting his nails pink traditionally garnered positive feedback however this year, a new plan materialized that Northeast Ohio was able to see on top of his head.

“One of my friends [A.J. Greer] shaved his head at a hospital [previously], so he told me to look into doing something like that,” said Somerby. “I figured if I was going to do it, I would have some fun with it and dye it pink. The feedback has been pretty funny so far.”

Somerby debuted his new hair at Monday’s practice with the intention of shaving it at the team’s annual Halloween Visit to University Hospitals later that week. Several patients from the Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital helped Somerby shave the pink off his head with one patient even asking him to shave her own head as she started treatment. 

Additionally, this year Somerby introduced to his campaign a visit to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on October 13th for the Light Up MBC event that saw landmarks around the world shine teal, pink and green in recognition of Stage IV Metastatic Breast Cancer. Somerby took pictures of the building for his personal campaign and met with local community members eager to share their own stories, which in the end meant much more to him.

“I didn’t have to watch anyone in my family go through it but hearing their stories and seeing [what] my girlfriend [went through], it can be pretty tough,” said Somerby. “It makes it worth it for me when I see people who are battling and what [my work] does for them and how it helps them. Getting out into the community and meeting these people is probably the most rewarding part of [my fundraising efforts].”

As Real Men Wear Pink comes to a close, the Monsters and Somerby turn their focuses towards supporting the NHL and AHL’s Hockey Fights Cancer campaign during the month of November and other initiatives in support of cancer research.  Somerby considered his second Real Men Wear Pink campaign a success and says he will continue to grow his efforts in the years ahead. 

In recognition of his leadership on the issue, the Monsters Community Foundation has committed to matching the funds raised by Somerby through Real Men Wear Pink, bringing his total fundraising amount to over $10,000.