Girls tennis supports teen with tumor
Waiting patiently for her to come, the girls JV and varsity tennis players were prepared with red velvet cupcakes, a signed poster and a team jacket. They ended practice early on Sept. 23 to meet their adopted teammate, Sarah Beaulieu.
Sarah was diagnosed with a brain tumor on June 24. When her mom, Toni, heard of a program called Friends of Jaclyn, which pairs pediatric brain tumor patients with high school and college sports teams, she told Sarah about it. Sarah liked the idea and decided to give it a try.
Tennis coach Suzie Engel heard about the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation in May. She shared the idea with the team who eagerly accepted it.
Even before meeting Sarah the team began sending her text messages, emails and left comments on her Caring Bridge blog.
“I thought it was cool that someone was going to sponsor me and that I get to go to their games,” Sarah said. “So far, I think it’s really good; it’s great to hear supportive messages from a bunch of girls.”
Tennis player Andra Kovacs (11) texts Sarah multiple times a week to check up on her treatment and provide support for her.
“Whenever I’m texting her, she always helps me put things into perspective,” Kovacs said. “If I’m having a bad day and I feel like something going on in my life is a big deal, she brings me back to reality because she has so much to deal with, more than
I’ve ever even imagined, but she is still one of the most positive people I’ve ever talked to.”
Kovacs, Nikki Kirchner (11) and Katelynn Ronning (11) joined Sarah in the 8th Annual San Diego Brain Tumor Walk on Sept. 26. Before the walk began, Sarah’s dad spoke in front of the crowd, sharing how important the event was to his family and the appreciation he had.
“That was the moment that it hit me that she has a regular family who has other regular problems and stresses in her life, but they’ve been able to balance everything so well,” Kovacs said.
Updating Caring Bridge regularly, Toni said that seeing all the messages left on there for Sarah really help their family during this trying time.
“We appreciate those letters on Caring Bridge,” Toni said. “It’s nice to know people are continuing to think about Sarah. It’s a visual reminder; you can see the tally of people visiting her website to see the progress. It’s a tangible thing.”
Sarah said she appreciates the messages that she receives from the team. After she went into surgery on June 29 and again on Aug. 6, the team let her know they were thinking about her.
“When I was going into surgery, they were saying everything was going to be okay and sent supportive messages on Caring Bridge,” Sarah said. “I can’t respond to them on Caring Bridge, but I usually respond to their text messages.”
Knowing that Sarah has to go to radiation therapy every day, Ronning said that signing Sarah’s guest book is a daily routine.
“Even though that is a one-way conversation, I know she’ll see it and hopefully it’ll help her,” Ronning said. “It makes me feel like I’m helping her through it and making her day at least a little bit better, it makes it worth it.”
Kovacs and Ronning agree that while they are helping Sarah through her tough time, she is also teaching them lessons. Kovacs received a text message from Sarah one day that said some of her hair was falling out, but other than that she was good.
“That was just such a real moment for me because I realized that all the things in my life were so minor and she’s battling a tumor but is still able to see the good in everything,” Kovacs said.
Sarah is in her last week of radiation and will find out the result of the treatment soon afterwards. During her treatment, Sarah’s positive attitude is what the team really looks up to.
“[Treatment has] been pretty okay, I’ve been going to radiation everyday for six weeks,” Sarah said. “Hopefully [the tumor] will be smaller in size by then.”
In the meantime, though Sarah is continuing to attend her own team’s swim practices, she fits in well with the tennis team.
“She gets along with everyone because she has such a social personality,” Kovacs said. “She’s really nice and I know that her story and her attitude towards everything inspire me every day.”