Weber State Football: Sara Hill's Battle With Cancer

UTC hosts Weber State Saturday at Finley Stadium

  • Friday, November 25, 2016
  • B.B Branton
Weber State football coach Jay Hill and his wife, Sara, after they shaved their heads in August in anticipation of her six months of chemo treatment.
Weber State football coach Jay Hill and his wife, Sara, after they shaved their heads in August in anticipation of her six months of chemo treatment.
photo by Weber State SID

For her first 37 years, Sara Hill - wife of Weber State football coach Jay Hill – life was good with four great kids and 80-90 players working hard to improve the program.

And she is one of the few college football wives to have a win (Utah in 2009 Sugar Bowl – Jay was an assistant coach) against a Nick Saban-coached Alabama team.

And 2016 has also been good for the Wildcats football program going 7-4 and receiving an FCS bid, but not so good for Mrs. Hill.

FCS Football Game Saturday: Weber State of the Big Sky Conference is in town this weekend to play Chattanooga Saturday at Finley Stadium at 2 p.m. in a FCS first round game.

But for Sara, who had been so active with the team – attending practices on a regular basis and cooking a weekly (Thursday night) meal for the players and coaches throughout the 2015 season – the doctor’s diagnosis in August of stage 4 Hodgin's Lymphoma  changed all that.

“The tests on a golf ball-sized tumor found in her right arm pit in mid-summer came back positive and six months of chemo treatment, plus shots to replenish white blood cells to her system started in late August,” said Sara.

“The chemo treatments wear you out and I also was taking two shots on a regular basis which gave me only two good days every two weeks.

“The pain was almost unbearable.”

While her fast-paced life has slowed this season – no Thursday night team dinners, but the players do receive candy bars – the good news from her doctor’s is that her cancer is curable.

“There were no signs of any new cancer cell activity in my body after the fourth treatment which was great news and another evaluation will come in mid-January after the final chemo treatment,” she stated.

“Radiation is a possibility at that time, but we will just have to wait and see.”

Sara says that while going through the chemo treatments has been tough, having this set back during football season has been a blessing.

“With all the success the team has had and looking forward to each football Saturday has been a good distraction.

“And I hope we win Saturday and the season continues for a few more weeks (FCS national championship game is Jan.7) as I have four more chemo treatments (every other Thursday) which end January 18.

She also points to the encouragement and support of my family and so many friends as a great help during her battle with cancer.

“I do my best to keep things in the right perspective as I have a real good chance to have a full recovery, while knowing of people in this community who have it worse than I whether it be cancer, or a death of a family member or other personal problems.”

And a Weber State win Saturday could be just what the doctor ordered to keep her spirits up with only four more treatments and three wins away from a national title.

contact B.B. Branton at william.branton@comcast.net
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