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Kelsie says, ‘It was one of those things where you think, that’ll never happen to me.’
Watching Kelsie Cleeton on the court tells you everthing you need to know. Her pesky defense, and offensive power — shows her tenacity in life.
Cass says, ‘She’s just Kelsie.’
But, even the toughest, most athleticly fit person can get knocked down.
Kelsie says, ‘I just — I just didn’t know what to do or think.’
Coach says, ‘Whenever she came into my office to tell me, it was shocking at first.’
It’s something everyone dreads, but many have to fight. And Kelsie was one of them. The twenty-year-old had a spot on her shoulder; Stage-1 Melanoma.
Coach says, ‘It wasn’t about basketball anymore; it was about a teammate and a lot of scared individuals. It was eye-opening that it can happen to anyone.’
Coach says, ‘It’s just sad when you see a twenty-year-old sitting there with something that could have been life or death, thankfully it wasn’t.’
Kelsie approached the diagnosis like the Kelsie you see in the number 5 jersey: with resilience
Coach says, ‘She didn’t let it phase her.’
And with her team by her side.
Coach says, ‘As soon as she could she was back out on the court. She had surgery, and I think she practiced a week later with a bunch of staples in her shoulder. She just said I want to play, so I let her.’
Kelsie says, ‘Basketball gets my mind off most everything, so it helps on the floor. But, having a scar is just a reminder.’
If the true story behind her scar isn’t tough enough —
Cass says, ‘I think before a game we were talking about what people were going to think when they saw it on her shoulder,
— Kelsie had to make it even tougher.
Cass says, ‘and she was like, ‘I’ll just tell them it’s my shark bite if they ask.”
Kelsie says, ‘We joked about that because I’m scared of sharks, and it’s a much cooler reason to have a scar I guess.’
