19 Jul 2015 Beating cancer: Senior year marks new beginning

by Sonja J. Keith

Cabot High student Sydnie Reedy hopes the start of her senior year marks a new beginning, putting behind her the months of treatment for brain cancer.

Sydnie, a daughter of Scott and Jennifer Reedy, started school in kindergarten in the Cabot School District. Her “whole ordeal” with cancer began the summer after her seventh grade year.

An avid basketball player, she was a member of an AAU team and had dreams of being a Lady Razorback. “I played year-round,” she said. “I was really in shape . . . I loved it because I was really good at it.”

Around the Fourth of July, Sydnie was with friends and watching fireworks when she became dizzy when she looked up.

“Everything would start spinning and I would get sick to my stomach, but as soon as I sat up I was fine,” she said. “I didn’t really think anything of it.” She also suffered migraines, but her father did, too, when he was younger.

Sydnie was taken to multiple doctors over time, but there wasn’t a clear diagnosis to explain her symptoms. Ultimately, she ended up in the emergency room at Arkansas Children’s Hospital. “I didn’t think anything was going on,” Sydnie said. “All of a sudden, I noticed every one of my family members was showing up, and I knew something was wrong.”

At age 13, Sydnie was told that an MRI turned up a tumor on the back of her neck that was blocking her spinal fluid. The doctor said she had the tumor for six to nine months. “They said I could’ve gone into a coma at any time and I shouldn’t be walking, let along playing AAU basketball.”

Surgery was scheduled for the following day. Sydnie sees God’s hand on the doctor who was available to care for her. “It was God right there.”

The surgeon removed all that he could of the tumor but there were a couple of spots left that would be addressed by chemo and radiation.

During treatment and recovery, Sydnie recalls spending a lot of time on the couch at her family’s home. Sydnie spent her eighth grade year of school homebound.

Still, her classmates elected her to the homecoming court. “I really didn’t want to go. I was embarrassed. I didn’t want to walk out in front of everybody looking like that. But I went and my daddy walked me and I cried so hard because as soon as I walked out there everybody was screaming my name and screaming for me . . . I felt bad because all the other people weren’t getting cheered for like that. It was amazing.”

Sydnie suffered nausea and lost her appetite while on the aggressive chemotherapy. Her weight dropped from 160 to 107.

Before cancer, Sydnie had a lot of hair and the loss of it has bothered her a great deal. “It was a big deal for me,” she said. “I didn’t want people behind me looking at my bald head. I’ve kind of gotten over it and don’t think about it anymore.”

The treatment was successful and Sydnie was able to return to basketball the following summer and to school for ninth grade.

“Whenever I was cancer free, I went back and started playing basketball that summer.”

Returning to the regular classroom in the ninth grade, Sydnie made all A’s. “I worked really hard,” she said. “I’ve never had a B and I don’t want to.”

She also returned to basketball, but struggled with drills and sometimes felt that she was holding her teammates back. Still, she had an opportunity to play in a couple of games. “I worked so hard to come back and be what I was once in basketball,” she said. “I couldn’t be my best.”

Her return to school was a difficult adjustment. Sydnie’s friends can’t put themselves in her shoes, and she can’t put herself in theirs. She often felt alone even though she was in a group of friends.

Cabot High Principal Henry Hawkins understands Sydnie’s difficulty as his son had cancer. “Kids are not mean, generally, but they are just so uncomfortable. The way kids deal with it is they just eliminate it. It’s unfortunate and it’s just sad. You can see how it hurts her feelings. Every day, I see her. She’s OK. She’s fine with it. It hurts her heart, you can tell, but she’s made the best of it. Her attitude is just awesome. She just knows that’s the way it’s going to be and we’re going to get through all of this and it’s going to get better and better.”

A monthly checkup early in Sydnie’s 10th grade year revealed the same type of cancer in the middle of her brain. It was inoperable so she resumed chemo treatment. This time, the side effects were not as severe so she could continue in school and in basketball.

It’s been hard for Sydnie to come to grips that once she played at a highly competitive level and now her teammates are better than she is. Still, she is working hard to improve in a sport that she has played since she was 5. This last season, she played in several games and scored six points. It meant a lot to her, recalling when she was younger getting to watch high school games and the official announcement of each player’s name. “That was my big dream. I got to hear it,” she said. “It was surreal.”

According to Sydnie, her battle with cancer has also had a profound impact on her family. “We are so much closer to God,” she said. “We went to church (before the diagnosis) but it was more about basketball for us. That’s not important.

“We are so much stronger as a family and in God because of this. I’m thankful for that relationship.”

Sydnie has also gained a different perspective since her cancer was discovered. She recalls slow car rides to UAMS for treatment, not feeling well and every bump causing
pain. Other motorists would honk and give them dirty looks. “You never know what is going on in someone else’s life,” she said, offering some advice. “Love and be kind to every single person.”

Sydnie is uncertain where her path will lead after graduating from high school, but she hopes to pursue a career in the medical field, preferably working with children but not in cancer treatment.

Her goal has changed from being a basketball star to being a strong, fit and happy person. “I always dreamed of being a Razorback and playing for them. That’s not going to happen,” she said. “It’s taken me awhile to figure that out.”

Sydnie is looking forward to her senior year and is optimistic that her chemo treatments will end soon and her next MRI will be clear. “I’m hoping I’ll have hair next year,” she said with a smile.

She looks forward to normalcy and the typical fun associated with a last year in high school. She describes it as “a new beginning.”