Hiatt spikes her cancer

Hiatt spikes her cancer

By KEVIN TRAVIS, Sports Editor
Sitting on the bleachers inside the Washington High School gymnasium, Haley Hiatt pondered a question. Her big, brown, beautiful eyes — seemingly so full of life — stared intensely at the nearby court.

It makes sense. That volleyball court is Hiatt’s sanctuary.

It’s where she found peace. Something to look forward to on the most trying of days.

And Hiatt had many of them.

It all started when Hiatt noticed a lump in her neck.

“It felt like my neck was popping out,” Hiatt said. “I told my mom about it and she was freaking out. That was on a Thursday night. On Friday we were supposed to go shopping, but she took me to Washington Pediatrics instead. Then I went to the hospital in Greenville.

“It all just happened so fast. I was freaking out. I wasn’t thinking it was cancer. I thought maybe I just got hit in the neck and didn’t know it.”

After a few more tests and scans, it was determined Sept. 2 that Hiatt had Hodgkin’s disease, a cancer of the lymphatic system, which is part of the immune system. Cells in the lymphatic system grow abnormally and may spread beyond the lymphatic system. As Hodgkin’s disease progresses, it compromises the body’s ability to fight infection.

The devastating news was shocking, especially to a vivacious, outgoing, athletic high school sophomore.

“I thought that it would never happen to me,” said Hiatt, wearing a stocking cap of her beloved North Carolina Tar Heels. “I was shocked and upset. A few of my family members have had cancer, but never Hodgkin’s disease.

“I was thinking, ‘Why me?’ because I’m so athletic. It really ruined the volleyball season.”

Hiatt had surgery to remove the lump. The next step was chemotherapy, which uses specific drugs in combination to kill tumor cells.

Surgeons inserted a port into Hiatt’s chest. The area is numbed and then a needle is stuck in there to administer the drugs. The treatments last from 30 minutes to an hour.

It wasn’t a process she was looking forward to, but Hiatt knew the treatments were necessary.

“I know chemo is good for you, but I didn’t like it because with my last treatment, I got really sick,” Hiatt said. “I threw up and it was terrible.”

Hiatt had to endure three cycles, which came every three to four weeks. She received treatments on Fridays and Saturdays.

Dr. Beng R. Fuh, Specialty Pediatrics, Hematology/Oncology and Pitt County Memorial Hospital’s Pediatric Outpatient Center, has been treating Hiatt.

“Dr. Fuh is really nice,” Hiatt said. “The people there (at the doctor’s office) are all nice. They have something called a Child Life Program where they explain what’s happening and that really helped.”

When she learned of her cancer, Hiatt leaned on her parents, Norman and Kim Hiatt, for their unconditional love and support.

“They’ve helped me out a lot,” Hiatt said. “Everything happens for a reason. I think this happened to bring me closer to my dad. I never would really bond with him and now I do.

“I’m also going to be closer to God. I believed in God, but we didn’t go to church. Now we do. This definitely brought me closer to God.”

Hiatt also had plenty of support from buddies, including close friend Karlee Fottler, to help get her through the tough times.

“Karlee helped me a lot,” Hiatt said. “All my friends have been really supportive.”

Hiatt knew she didn’t have to go through her battle alone. But while some people were curious about Hiatt’s cancer, many shied away from her.

“Nobody would ask me questions about (the cancer),” said Hiatt, who was forced to miss several days of school. “I like it when people ask me questions. I don’t feel embarrassed.”

While the chemo did kill the cancer cells, it also produced some side effects. The brave Hiatt didn’t let them slow her down.

“When I tried out for basketball, I got really tired,” Hiatt said. “(The side effects are) different for other people. My fingertips got numb. Some people get mouth sores, but I don’t get those.”

One of the more noticeable side effects was the loss of Hiatt’s hair. While most teenage girls are concerned with their looks, Hiatt took it in stride.

“I got called Britney Spears (the popular singer who shaved her head at one point) when I first lost my hair,” Hiatt said. “That was kind of annoying.

“I cut my hair really short because it was falling out so bad. Then I told my mom to go ahead and shave it. I wore a hat to school the first day, but a couple days later I didn’t wear a hat. I didn’t really care what people say. Some days I’ll wear a hat and take it off in class. Some days I won’t even take a hat to school. That’s something that really doesn’t bother me. Now that I know I look good without hair, over the summer I might shave my head and donate (the hair).”

In fact, Hiatt was so confident with her “new look” that she played volleyball without a hat.

“Some of my teammates asked, ‘why are you playing volleyball? You don’t have any hair,’” Hiatt said with a laugh. “I said, ‘I don’t care; I’m here to play volleyball.’ I didn’t care what I looked like.”

The 5-foot, 9-inch Hiatt, who stretches to nearly 6 feet with the right shoes, said returning to her Pam Pack volleyball teammates and the court was a blessing. It was her sanctuary.

“It felt really good to get back on the court,” Hiatt said. “Just sitting on the bench doing stats, I hated doing that. Since it’s my favorite sport, I wanted to be out there.”

Coach Tara Hunter, a first-year coach with the Pam Pack volleyball team last season, said Hiatt maintained a positive attitude throughout the entire ordeal.

“Haley is amazing,” Hunter said. “She has a deep amount of courage. Not only did she battle Hodgkin’s disease, but she was a part of the team. When she felt okay, she came to practice and encouraged the girls. She pushed herself and overcame it.

“I thought she was a huge inspiration, not just to the volleyball team but to everybody at school.”

Hiatt, who played three matches early in the season before being diagnosed with the disease, made a triumphant return to the court at the end of the season. Despite being weak from the treatments, Hiatt still soared at the net.

“I think I did really good,” Hiatt said. “I had a lot of coaches tell me that they were really proud of me. One of them said, ‘you’re a hell of a player.’ All that made me feel good.”

Hiatt, who plans on being with the team each game next season, has an optimistic view of the team’s future.

“The team didn’t win any games (this year), but we started to work as a team,” Hiatt said. “We’re going to start practicing a lot earlier. We’re going to learn to do a lot of things that we didn’t learn this year.

“Next year we’re going to do much better.”

Though Hiatt said volleyball is her favorite sport, she also plays basketball and participates in track. She went to the regional meet and just missed out on qualifying for the state meet in the high jump event last year.

In the winter, Hiatt will be playing on the junior varsity basketball team. The team will be coached by Heather Recko, while one of Hiatt’s uncles, Anthony Clark, will assist.

“I know it’s going to take me a bit to get into shape, but I’m looking forward to it,” said Hiatt, who is interested in drawing and photography outside of school. “I’m hoping to lead the JV squad. I can’t wait.”

Hiatt, who eventually wants to earn a scholarship to play a college sport, will suit up for the Pam Pack with a clean bill of health. She got the words she was waiting to hear — “cancer-free” — on Nov. 7. While it was music to the ears of Hiatt, her family and friends, the spunky teenager didn’t exactly overreact to the great news.

“People asked me if I cried, but I didn’t,” Hiatt said. “I already knew it was gone. I could feel it. I didn’t get excited, but yet, it was cool. I just knew it was gone.”

Hiatt will still have to return to the doctor for follow-up visits to make sure she remains healthy. The port will remain in her chest for another six months.

But that won’t stop the unwavering Hiatt from living it up.

After all, she’s spiked cancer.

Benefit concert planned

A Country Christmas Extravaganza concert featuring Don Cox and Friends will be held in December to help with Haley Hiatt’s medical bills. Cox, a national recording artist from Belhaven, is putting on the concert for Hiatt.

The concert, tentatively scheduled for Dec. 13, will be held at Northside High School. The exact date and time will be announced at a later time.

Those wanting to make donations may send them to: Haley Hiatt Fund, c/o Lila Everett, Treasurer, 552 Firetower Lane, Bath, North Carolina, 27808.

For more information, or to help with the concert, contact Lila Everett at 923-6381, or by e-mail at lilaleverett@yahoo.com.