Cancer.  No one thinks it will ever be them… but when it is, how do you even react? Especially when all eyes are on you. Head coach for the Texas State soccer team Kat Conner, knows a thing or two about dealing with this deadly disease while in the spotlight.
 
On the pitch, Conner was a feisty player not ready to give up the game, so when she retired from grinding, she started coaching on the sidelines. In 1999, at just 29 years old, she started building the soccer program at Texas State University. As the years went on, the team only continued to get stronger and more comfortable with each other. Conner was making a name for herself as the head coach at TXST, but she had no idea that in a few short years she would be an inspiration there too.
 
In the late 2000s and early 2010s Conner's teams were successful in the Southland Conference but in 2012 the university made the decision to switch athletic conferences to the Western Athletic Conference and then joined the Sun Belt Conference just a year later.
 
With all the craziness of finding her grove against new opponents, Conner had no time to stop and consider what her body was telling her. She stated that "as coaches, during season and in practices, especially when it is hot, it is kind of normal to not feel your best because you are so focused on the business and getting things done." So why would she have taken time out of her busy schedule to run to the doctor? Coach Kat was only in her early 40's when she was first experiencing symptoms of what would be ovarian cancer and at that age the word cancer does not even cross your mind.
 
By the time Conner was supposed to be throwing herself into coaching for the upcoming preseason in 2015, she had really slowed down. Preseason means grind season, and anyone who has played a college sport knows it is extremely demanding. The same is true for coaches and staff. So when Conner started needing "quick 5-minute breaks" to rest before morning practice had even started, she remembers thinking, "That should have drawn a red flag." It did not.
 
Finally, Conner started to take these warning signs seriously when she became ill while traveling for a road match. She recalls being in so much pain that instead of getting on the bus for the game, she went to the emergency room. Unfortunately, Coach's pain was dismissed as severe constipation and was sent on her way. Conner's "constipation" pain never subsided. Her friends and family suggested she go to a more qualified physician. What she thought would be a quick trip to the doctor turned into much more.
 
After Conner told the doctor everything that had been going on, he immediately ordered CAT scans. The sinking reality of the news she was about to receive began to set in. Conner was diagnosed with Stage 3 ovarian cancer. After almost a year of ignoring symptoms and brushing off warning signs, she finally faced the severity of the situation. Cancer was attacking her body. 
 
While the majority of people in Texas were enjoying their Labor Day weekend, Conner was stuck in a hospital in Austin waiting to be seen by a specialist. After a single visit, her oncologist scheduled a surgery date to get a complete hysterectomy and ruled Conner out for the rest of the season. This is when she felt things start to really click. This was not something that she could push to the back of her mind anymore.
 
Just two weeks after she went under the knife and barely recovered, Conner began chemotherapy. She was put on what was supposed to be an 18-week treatment schedule but in late December 2015 she found herself back in the hospital. This time it was from a seven-day complication that would lead to an emergency surgery to remove a piece of her colon.  By mid-January in 2016, Conner was ready to get started again and she would continue chemo until May. 
 
When that summer came around Conner felt like a new woman. She was ready to get back on the field and was anxious to coach her girls come fall season. All went well for a few months until a routine CAT scan caught another small mass near her lungs. This surgery was less invasive and the cancer was successfully removed. Conner was placed on parp inhibitors, a form of cancer therapy, and to this day she goes to the oncologist routinely to confirm her body does not fall back under attack.
 
Throughout this entire battle, her staff, players and family were Conner's strongest support system. Former Bobcat player under her, Kelly Barbalias, spoke to this firsthand. She recalled the team "wanting to support Kat as much as possible. The girls would meet with coach in groups just to spend time with each other, had multiple Bible studies, and were able to have conversations about topics other than soccer [to] really grow their relationships with each other on a more personal level." Being surrounded by such a positive group of people, even through her darkest times, is when Conner found strength within herself and her community to continue to fight.
 
So how does one react when diagnosed with a life-threatening disease like cancer? Take a look at Conner's past two decades. She persevered, leaned into her support system and found ways to come out on top. I believe The University Star said it best when stating, "Like steel, Kat Conner let her fires reshape her into greatness. Like steel, she now stands strong and unyielding no matter what the team may face; and in doing so, has become the heart of women's soccer at Texas State."