A light-hearted moment at a serious event helped the Coupeville High School volleyball team celebrate its annual Dig for a Cure for Breast Cancer Night Thursday, Oct. 22.

Whidbey sports photographer John Fisken invited his sister Mary, a Lynnwood resident who is suffering from cancer, to the event.

To highlight the evening, he surprised Mary by allowing her and the Coupeville varsity team to dye his hair and beard pink.

John Fisken then walked out in front of the crowd and photographed the game with the new look.

Mary Fisken is in her third, and most likely last, bout with cancer; doctors told her she has only a few months to live.

John Fisken wanted to support his sister in a special way, helping her enjoy another moment in the age-old game of humiliating your sibling.

Over the past decade, Mary Fisken has supported events like Coupeville’s Dig for a Cure Night, trying to bring awareness to breast cancer and raise funds for research.

She said she has participated in the past 10 Susan G. Komen Three-Day Walks for Cancer in the Seattle area, walking the 60 miles in six and helping crew in four others. Each participant has to raise at least $2,300 to take part, she said.

“It’s very emotional,” she said. “Once you have done it, you want to do it over and over.”

Fisken holds an optimistic outlook.

“I keep hanging in there,” she said. “You never know when things will change and they might find a cure.”

For now, she enjoys each day — especially those when she can hassle her brother.