The TCU community and Susan G. Komen for the Cure Greater Fort Worth Affiliate brought together purple and pink in the sixth annual Frogs for the Cure event.

Breast cancer survivors, students, faculty, staff members and alumni gathered at last Saturday’s game against Brigham Young University to spread breast cancer awareness across the TCU and Fort Worth communities. Before the game, breast cancer survivors were invited to a pre-game tailgate sponsored by TCU and Komen for the Cure.

Ruby Sellers, coordinator of the survivor tailgate, said that the survivor tent is a way to encourage survivors to keep fighting for the cause. Sellers started volunteering for Komen for the Cure after her mom was diagnosed with cancer three years ago.

“I realized that doing this nonprofit and doing something that makes a difference in the world is more rewarding than making more money,” Sellers said.

Breast cancer survivor Ella Horne said the tailgate is a great way to spread the word about breast cancer and meet others who had been through the same thing. Horne said Frogs for the Cure was a great opportunity for the public to get involved and support those affected by breast cancer.

“You know, it’s a very emotional and cheerful moment. Everyone is sharing their story,” Horne said.

Sellers said the goal of Komen for the Cure was to stress the intensity of breast cancer. Every three minutes a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer and every 13 minutes a women dies with breast cancer, she said.

“Basically today is just about celebrating life and celebrating the awareness,” Sellers said.

Seventy-five percent of the money raised through Frogs for the Cure went to women affected by breast cancer in Tarrant, Parker, Johnson and Hood counties, and the other 25 percent goes directly to research, Sellers said.

“We’re racing for the cure and it is going to happen one of these days,” Horne said.

According to a press release, there were over 1,200 participants in the halftime show.

The halftime show was highlighted by a production that features clips that included 40 different campus groups and TCU alumnus Tim Halperin, according to the Frogs for the Cure website. Halperin wrote and recorded the song “We Fight Back,” which is sold on iTunes, and 70 percent of the proceeds benefitted Komen for the Cure.

Two-year breast cancer survivor Grace Gray has attended Frogs for the Cure football game and tailgate for three years. She had just finished undergoing chemotherapy when she attended for the first time.

“It was very emotional for me…it is incredible to be surrounded by so many survivors,” Gray said.

Early detection is the most important thing to spread to students and the Fort Worth community, Gray said. The university’s participation is one way to spread the word to those that don’t know who all is affected by breast cancer.

“I don’t want anybody to have to go through what I had to and I hope at some point we find a cure,” Gray said.

For a video of the halftime show, click here.