Two 49ers make breast cancer awareness their personal cause

SANTA CLARA

Two starters on the San Francisco 49ers defense, Antoine Bethea and Quinton Dial, will try to tackle breast cancer this October during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Bethea, a 32-year-old three-time Pro-Bowl strong safety, is selling his own “Tackle Breast Cancer” T-shirts on his website, AntoineBethea.com. The T-shirts are black with white letters outlined in pink, and cost between $25 and $30. The proceeds will go to local breast cancer awareness organizations and Bethea’s charity, the Safe Coverage Foundation, which Bethea started in 2010.

“It was really for my hometown, Newport News, Virginia,” Bethea said. “Promoting and continuing education. Helping the youngsters that want to continue their education but sometimes lack the resources. I give back that way.

“With my foundation, I do whatever I can to help the community, whether it’s food, jobs. I do a Second Harvest food thing. A Christmas toy drive. Whatever the case may be.

“With this (breast cancer awareness), it really hit home when I found out my mom was battling breast cancer. And my mother-in-law, she passed from breast cancer. So this is something that’s dear to my heart. All the money that I receive for these T-shirts, I can put toward something that can help.”

Dial, a 26-year-old defensive tackle who signed a three-year, $12.6 million contract extension with the 49ers during the offseason, has a similar story. “I lost my Aunt Lisa to breast cancer,” Dial said. “That really inspired me to help women who have either beaten or are trying to beat cancer.”

This is the first year Dial has been able to donate to Breast Cancer Awareness Month. “I’ve been meaning to do it, but I’m in a position now (financially) where I’m able to do this.”

Dial first got the idea to do something during the offseason. “I was at the 49ers’ awards banquet during the offseason and I saw a lot of guys doing different things for breast cancer awareness, and I thought, ‘I need to start doing something like that.’ And then I thought about my aunt, and just kind of put two and two together.”

Like Bethea, Dial already had a charitable foundation, QD’s Kids, which he started three years ago. “I’ve just really been a mentor to kids that are in need,” Dial said. “We try to reach out and help them in any way possible. I’ve been a mentor to kids who are at risk. I go out to the east side of San Jose, take a couple kids out for a couple hours on my off day. Whatever I’ve got to do to keep kids off the street and from getting into trouble.”

Now Dial is expanding the scope of his charity. During the week of Oct. 17 - in the lead-up to the 49ers Breast Cancer Awareness game - Dial and his foundation will partner with JUUT SalonSpa in Palo Alto to provide a day of spa services to 20 women who have breast cancer.

These women come from Susan G. Komen, the biggest breast cancer foundation in the country. They will receive manicures, pedicures, facials, make-up, blowouts and/or scalp massages if they lost their hair due to chemotherapy.

Day 2 will include dinner with Dial. And Day 3 will be Oct. 23, when the Niners will take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Breast Cancer Awareness game. Dial will host the women and their guests to a VIP game day experience at Levi’s Stadium.

“That’s all I’m doing,” Dial said, “Just trying to tell them, ‘You ain’t in this by yourself, and there are people out there who really care about you.’ That’s the reason why I’m doing it.”