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By David Boyce

MARYVILLE, Mo. - Nearly 90 minutes before walking to midcourt at halftime of the Northwest Missouri State men's basketball game against Pittsburg State, Brenda Neff, a lifelong resident of Maryville, was upbeat.
 
That probably doesn't surprise hundreds and hundreds of people in the Maryville community who know well her positive attitude in the face of adversity. Neff openly talked about her fight against breast cancer.
 
The way Neff is tackling this disease and her lifelong committed to Maryville were a couple of reasons why she was nominated and then selected as this year's recipient of money raised for the Pink Out game.
 
"I feel very honored," Neff said. "I don't know if I can quite put it into words. It was overwhelming to be nominated. I can serve as a person someone can look to, but I am not a role model."
 
Nobody wants cancer.
 
But in so many ways, Neff is a glowing example of a person facing obstacles with a positive attitude. Early last spring, when she went to see her doctor, she was 100 percent cancer free.
 
Six months later in November, Neff was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer.
 
"It had already progressed," Neff said. "It was tough news to take. It is not what you want to hear when you are 41."
 
She has already had five chemotherapy treatments and another one to go. After that, Neff will have surgery followed by radiation treatment.
 
"I learned that each breast cancer is different," Neff said. "Everyone's journey is different."
 
The Pink Out event, said MacKenzie Magwire, Northwest assistant athletic director for marketing and promotions, means a lot to the athletic program because it is for such a great cause.
 
"It is someone in the community who has already made an impact," Magwire said. "And now we are able to make an impact in their life."
 
Neff has made significant contributions to the Maryville community and has touched the lives of many in a significant way. She graduated from Northwest in 1998 with a degree in accounting. For the next 17 years, Neff worked as an accountant.
 
Her and her family's life took a traumatic change when one of her daughters died in an auto accident involving a drunken driver 10 years ago. Neff made a career change. She now works with special needs children at Eugene Field Elementary School in Maryville.
 
"The amount of joy they bring me is unreal," Neff said. "I hate being gone from school. They are truly a light."
 
And so is Neff. She has two daughters, 17-year-old Madyson and 10-year-old Elly. Neff also honors Abrielle with the Abrielle Neff Foundation, which provides stuffed animals to children in the hospital.
 
"We are all about community," Neff said.
 
Magwire said eight student interns work hard to make the Pink Out game special for everybody involved.
 
"Honestly, it is our favorite event to put on," Magwire said. "I think that is why it is close to all of us. It brings a lot of people together for a great cause."