Bulldogs raising money for funeral

It is not uncommon for cheerleaders or athletes to don pink ribbons or T-shirts during October to support Breast Cancer Awareness Month activities.

But when Bulldog fans see pink ribbons in Satsuma tonight, it will be for a much more personal cause. Satsuma’s starting running back, Peyton Thomas, lost his mother, Lawanda, to breast cancer this week.

The Gators will wear pink ribbons with Lawanda Thomas’s initials on them on the backs of their helmets tonight. The game will also be a “pink out” game in her honor.

Lawanda Thomas had fought a long battle with cancer. She was hospitalized last week, but her 16-year-old son still played in the Gators’ 30-14 win over Escambia County last week.

“Peyton played Friday with a heavy heart,” coach Justin Thomas told al.com. “He played for her. We played for her. At the end of the game when I was talking to the team, Peyton was just pouring tears. I told the boys he would need them more than they could ever imagine for the immediate future.”

The coach said Peyton Thomas also plans to play tonight. His mother’s funeral is set for Saturday.

Lawanda Thomas, a nurse, was a single mom who exhausted most of her income fighting the disease.

“Her only concern as she knew he life was coming to an end was who would take care of Peyton,” Marlon Wade, who also has a son on the Satsuma team, told al.com. Both Wade and coach Thomas said they assured her her son would be taken care of.

The Andalusia Bulldogs are collecting money to contribute to the funeral expenses, and a gofundme account has been set up by the Satsuma QB Club. The Gators also are hoping to raffle off several items at Friday’s football game in order to help with expenses.