Like most high school seniors getting ready for college, 18-year-old Mara Hunter has been very busy preparing for her future. And all her hard work is paying off — the Olentangy Liberty High School field hockey star just earned a scholarship to play for Ohio State University next year. However, her journey has been far from easy.
A little over a year ago, Mara started having unusual symptoms, starting with her left ear. Over time, her symptoms worsened until she eventually passed out during field hockey practice. She was rushed to the hospital and had a bone marrow biopsy the next day. Just a few hours later, Mara was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).
Mara underwent surgery and spent 11 days in the hospital. Her road to recovery caused her to miss playing on the team her junior year, although she resumed academic classes online. There were days where she would have to take as many as 25 pills a day.
“I never thought I’d be able to play again,” Mara said. But after a courageous fight, Mara came back to the field with a vengeance the following year — winning six goals during the team’s first seven games.
Mara joined The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Light The Night walk, LLS’s inspirational fundraising walk where she served as Columbus, Ohio’s 2015 Honored Hero. In this role, she served as the face of other blood cancer patients by sharing her story with other walkers. Her friends, neighbors and classmates all came together to raise funds and show their support.
With a bright future ahead of her, Mara recently received a special visit from another shining star athlete — three-time Olympic gold-medalist Kerri Walsh Jennings.
Mara was able to hang out with Jennings and they participated in a professional “sports-themed” photo shoot. Mara even had a chance to show Jennings some of her field hocky moves. The surprise visit which took place in Columbus, Ohio, was part of LLS’s Random Acts of Light program.
Jennings had some encouraging words for Mara: “Don’t be afraid to fail, don’t be afraid to get frustrated, work through it and you’re going to get where you want to go.”
Through Random Acts of Light, LLS brings moments of light to those touched by blood cancer. Celebrities surprise survivors with special meetings to bring light to the darkness of cancer and create awareness for the critical need to find new treatments and cures for blood cancer patients.
