By Rile Hicks, Duke Communications Student Assistant
DURHAM —
On the afternoon of September 9, the Duke women’s soccer team signed more than just another star player to their roster. The Blue Devils signed Perry Coxe.
Perry Coxe is a 5-year-old girl from Apex, N.C., who was diagnosed with a Wilms Tumor in her right kidney in September of 2021. Through the non-profit organization, Team IMPACT, Perry was introduced to the Duke women’s soccer team in the Spring of 2022.
Team IMPACT matches children diagnosed with serious, chronic illnesses or disabilities with college varsity sports teams across the country. Since 2011, the organization has been implemented on 726 campuses and has matched 2,588 children with 64,700 student-athletes. Once the children are matched with a team, they remain in the program and become a part of the team. Team IMPACT serves as an opportunity for student-athletes to inspire growth and independence among children facing serious illnesses. Simultaneously, the program instills a sense of purpose and self-awareness within student-athlete participants beyond their sport.
With the help of Duke senior captain and Team IMPACT fellow, Emmy Duerr, Perry got matched to the team and was quickly welcomed with open arms. Perry’s parents, Griffin and Brittany Coxe, described how incredibly special building this relationship has been for their family.
Brittany Coxe noted how the players “are true role models to Perry ” and for as shy as she may be, “Perry lights up whenever she sees them.”
Since Perry’s introduction to the team in the Spring, the Duke women’s soccer players have come together to support the Coxe family’s journey through chemotherapy.
To officially honor Perry’s membership on the team, Duerr and the Blue Devil women’s soccer team hosted a mock signing day ceremony. They printed out a “letter of intent” for her to sign and the whole team gathered around in celebration sharing stories about Perry.
“Hearing all the girls talk about Perry was really cool,” said Griffin Coxe. “Especially when coach Carla [Overbeck] spoke, you can see how much Perry means to the team although it’s been such a small scale.”
After almost a year to the day of Perry’s diagnosis, the date signified more than just a singing day. It was the culmination of Perry finishing her chemotherapy treatment and starting her first…
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