Stonington – Sports are the endless companion for many of us, eliciting ecstasy and misery, celebration and commiseration. Joyful stress that ends in win or lose, not life or death.

And that's where you begin with the Walkers of Waterford. It's back to sports again. Win or lose. No longer wondering whether Marissa, the middle daughter of Pete and Kari, would lose the fight to cancer. Marissa Walker, once a third grader fighting bone cancer, is a varsity softball player now. Her sister, Kazi, is the starting pitcher for Waterford High. Walkers, Walkers everywhere.

There they were Monday night, too, out there with their friends, proliferating all the pink. Pink, a gentle hue? Not on this night. Pink is a panther. The symbol of the fight against cancer and the backdrop for this wonderful sporting event, now in its sixth year, the "Play4theCure" softball game between Waterford and Stonington.

This game, the brainchild of Stonington coach Ann-Marie Houle and Waterford's Liz Sutman, both of whom have lost siblings to cancer, has never been bigger, better or more inspirational. And you begin with the Walkers.

It's become something of a related activity to Waterford games now watching Kari text her husband almost pitch by pitch updates, while Pete tends to pregame duties as the pitching coach of the Toronto Blue Jays. His oldest daughter is the pitcher. His middle daughter, the one with the expandable prosthesis in her left leg and survivor of three major surgeries, even won a game in relief this season.

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"Following their games by text message," Pete said Monday before the Blue Jays played a day game, "is torture. I envy people who can watch their kids. My family is used to it. But that doesn't make it easier."

And yet that's the point. The whole, wonderful, inspirational point. Pete Walker's stress is about the outcome of the game now and whether his wife includes sufficient details. Not wondering about his daughter's life.

"Some of it is always going to be there, though," Kari Walker acknowledged before Monday night's game. "But Marissa is good. She never complains. She really doesn't. Her extracurricular activities used to be physical therapy and watching other friends play. Sitting on the sidelines. She's worked hard."

Marissa Walker said last week she feels twinges of pain everyday. Survival doesn't always beget comfort. But who among us wouldn't already make her a Helen Reddy lyric?

If she has to, she can do anything.

That's the message of the night. Play4theCure. We all know someone. Whom would you play for? A sampling of the kids from Monday night:

Emma Miller: "I play for my grandpas."

Mackenzie Merriman: "I play for my grandma."

Ally Pezzolesi: "I play for Maema, Madeline Guarraia and Alicia Hensley."

Erin Craig: "I play for Bill Craig."

Cameron Dreher: "I play for my mom."

Sara Buscetto: "I play for my Nonna."

Emily Borysewicz: "I play for my Aunt Mary."

The wall of honor also included tributes to folks in and out of the softball community who fight the fight:

Laura Scarpa, a member of East Lyme High's 1994 state championship softball team, was diagnosed on her 35th birthday last year. She got to ring the gong, a symbolic gesture at Lawrence + Memorial, that she was cancer free in December.

Lisa Marie Wentz-Day, a former Stonington High great, who died at age 20. Mike O'Farrell, the public relations director at Lawrence + Memorial Hospital, once said of her, "The bonds with Lisa continue today. Lisa's here. She's a part of everything. ... This is not about remembering her as much as it is sharing her. People need to understand that if you are fortunate enough to win Lisa's scholarship, they need to know what she's about. Not was about. She's not walking through the door, but it doesn't change her qualities."

Josh Eudy, the popular teacher and volleyball coach at Waterford High, who died of cancer on Christmas Day, 2013. Former Waterford great Elaina Sullivan, a freshman at Hofstra, came back to watch Monday's game. She once said of Eudy, "I think of him every time I play. I want to make him proud."

We all know somebody.

And this was the night to tell all of the Nonnas, Eudys and Aunt Marys that we play for them. We fight. We pray. We play. We cry. We laugh. We volunteer. We love. We donate. We support. We believe. And we are steadfast. We are steadfast because Play 4 The Cure inspires faith in all of us. The faith that a light for the way.

This is the opinion of Day sports columnist Mike DiMauro.

Twitter: @BCgenius