WAUPUN — Pink Out the Rink announced Susan Stoffel as the recipient for the 12th Annual Pink Out the Rink fundraiser.
Pink Out the Rink is an annual breast cancer awareness and charity event that raises money for locals who were diagnosed with breast cancer.
“Normally it’s a breast cancer recipient that we have a special night for,” said Jodi Batzler, one of the organizers for the event. “All proceeds go to the recipient that we raise that night. And it’s a very popular event—we always have a huge crowd that shows up to support it. We have a good community, it’s pretty touching.”
Pink Out fundraises through a variety of methods on gameday, including raffles, a bake sale, and Chuck-a-Puck contest.
PHOTOS: 11th Annual Pink Out The Rink
Susan Stoffel is a life-long resident of Waupun who was diagnosed with breast cancer in September 2023. Stoffel has been very active in the community for much of her life, including attending countless hockey games at the Waupun Ice Arena.
“This whole cancer thing really came out of nowhere, and it’s very much knocked me for a loop,” Stoffel said. “It’s been a wild year. About two weeks before I found out about the cancer, I found out my first grandchild was coming. So, that’s my incentive to get well, to be well, to be healthy and so forth.”
“From September 19th to November 10th, all I did was go to doctors and have scans and all that kind of stuff,” she said. “I had surgery on November 10th. And I actually went home the next day, and by Monday, I was feeling pretty decent and on Wednesday I drove myself to Fond du Lac and back. I can’t say enough about the care and the people at SSM, Dean, and Agnesian.”
“When they approached me about being the recipient for the Pink Out the Rink I thought, ‘Surely, there’s somebody more needy than me’ because I have decent insurance and stuff like that, but now the hospital bills are starting to roll in and I had a major car repair in the middle of all this, so I’m feeling doubly blessed. Somebody was watching out for me from upstairs and these girls have just been awesome and it’s just on the way here,” she said.
While they do believe the breast cancer is gone for now, Stoffel is still being monitored and screened for other potential cancers due to some that run in her family. But with all the community and family support encouraging her, there’s a lot to be thankful for.
“Waupun is such a great community. The people that I know and the people that I’ve met, the people that have moved in here, and stuff. Everybody cares. It’s just awesome. And I’m just so grateful. This will be a big blessing for me.”
Pink Out will be held at 7PM on Saturday, January 6th, the day after the Alumni Game. This year’s Pink Out game will be played against South Central, which is a team made up of players from DeForest, Columbus, Lodi, Poynette, and Fall River.
Correction 12/9/23 12:09AM: — A previous version of this article stated she was diagnosed in March, when it was in September.
