BOILING SPRINGS – The word has long been one of the most feared and devastating the English language has produced. Cancer. It is a diagnosis that is capable of breaking the strongest of us all.

Sometimes the disease meets someone who is stronger. Someone who has a determination steeled by faith, family and friends who will beat the odds – beat the disease.

Gardner-Webb alum and current graduate assistant volleyball coach Heather Feldman faced cancer with courage, strength and determination. Today, she is cancer free, and is just as determined to raise awareness – and funding – to help others win their battle.

Feldman was diagnosed with Stage 3 Non-Hodgkins lymphoma on November 17, 2016 – not long after her 23rd birthday.

"I had a lot of symptoms, but at age 23 you don't jump to that crazy of a conclusion. It turns out I had all the symptoms of Non-Hodgkins lymphoma."

A two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District III selection during her playing career at Gardner-Webb, Feldman was accustomed to peak physical conditioning and performance. She finished her career with the Runnin' Bulldogs as one of the program's all-time greats, dishing off 4,545 career assists and picking up 1,112 career digs.

"I spent about two weeks in the hospital in North Carolina. I was transferred to Charlotte to begin treatment as soon as possible, because the main mass was around my heart," Feldman said. "I went home to Buffalo to continue treatment and had a six-hour round about every three weeks."

After enduring a very difficult time in her life, which saw lymphoma present in many areas of her body, Feldman began to receive what would be a progressive series of good news."

"When I went in for my PET [positron emission tomography] scan and checkup to see how the treatment was working, the mass by my heart had shrunk and really the only other place the cancer was showing up was in my spleen. The other places throughout my body weren't showing up. They were gone."

Feldman made her way back to Boiling Springs in March, where she rejoined the Runnin' Bulldogs for spring drills – which served as a very positive distraction as she waited the 8-10 weeks before undergoing more tests to see if the cancer was gone. Then, as spring came to a close, she returned home for more tests and received the best news.

"On May 18 I found out I was in complete remission," she shared. "It was an amazing feeling. We went and celebrated after the visit to the doctor and it really was a perfect day."

When asked how she was able to get through the ordeal, Feldman pointed to assists from many others – from her faith, to family and her extended family at Gardner-Webb.

"My faith was tested in the beginning, but He got me through," she said. "I was in fight mode the whole time. There never really was a point where I thought that I wasn't going to beat this.

"The support system I had was incredible," Feldman added. "My parents flew down quickly and were with me the entire time I was in the hospital. My mom was my rock. My boyfriend supported me a lot. The people at Gardner-Webb were wonderful. Chuck [Burch] allowed me to take a leave to get well. Leo [Sayles] was amazing. He contacted former teammates and got the word out, as well as being very supportive throughout. By the time I got back to Buffalo in December, I had something in the mail – a package, a card – every day."

Her happy ending isn't taken for granted by Feldman, and she has spearheaded a movement by Gardner-Webb volleyball to support a worthy cause. When the Runnin' Bulldogs host Radford on Friday night – September 22 – GWU will designate the contest as a "Dig Lime" match in support of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). 

Lime is the official support color of lymphoma, and Friday's "Dig Lime" match will help raise money that will directly benefit cutting edge research, with the goal of curing blood cancers.

Fans are encouraged to wear lime green to the match and make donations at the 10-minute intermission. Those unable to attend can log on and donate at http://events.lls.org/pages/nc/Gardner-Webb-University-Women-s-Volleyball-2018.

The match is set to begin at 7:00 pm in Paul Porter Arena.