WASHINGTON, D.C. — When she walked up to the plate in this year’s annual Congressional softball game last week, Alabama Congresswoman Martha Roby wasn’t just enjoying the sultry DC Summer day, she was playing for her friend.

Ronda McCaul Walker, Montgomery County Commissioner, is currently battling stage 3 breast cancer and has been close with Roby for years. The two women worked together for several years before Walker was appointed to the Montgomery County Commission by Governor Robert Bentley, but the two have remained friends ever since.

Roby was greatly effected by the news of her longtime friend’s sickness. “When Ronda told me in December that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer, my heart sank,” Roby said, “Ronda is an incredible wife, mother and public servant. Her friendship has always been special and encouraging to me as a wife and mom in public service myself.”

Commissioner Walker was present at the game as Representative Roby’s honored guest. “I’m honored and excited to be a part of this special event,” Walker said. “My diagnosis came as a very tough blow, not just for me, but for my husband and children as well. The first thing we did was set our focus on God; then we clung to our senses of humor, and geared up for the toughest experience of our lives.”

Since its inception, the Softball game has pitted female Members of Congress against the ladies of the Capitol Press Corps to raise money and awareness for the Young Survival Coalition, an group whose mission is to help women diagnosed with breast cancer.

The tradition started in 2009 when female members of Congress rallied around Florida Representative Debbie Wasserman Shultz after her diagnosis. The next year, female press corps members, who have adopted the name “Bad News Babes,” joined the game as the Representatives’ opponents. The game has raised funds and awareness for the Young Survival Coalition, becoming a special tradition for players and spectators alike.