‘Never thought something like this would happen.’ Boise State athlete beats back cancer
After losing two aunts and an uncle to cancer, Kayly Pau got a tattoo of a cancer awareness ribbon on her right forearm.
Six months later, she would be in her own battle with the disease.
Pau, a junior outside hitter with the Boise State volleyball team, received a leukemia diagnosis in June 2021. The disease is now in remission, and the Broncos are hosting a Leukemia Awareness Night in her honor Thursday against New Mexico. First serve is 7 p.m. at Bronco Gym.
“I feel completely just on top of the world. I got my health back. I got my life back, and I got my sport,” Pau said.
DIAGNOSIS
Pau said she went to the hospital one night in June 2021 feeling sick.
“I was just constantly getting sick,” Pau said. “I couldn’t sleep, so I decided to go to the hospital, where they ran some tests on me and saw that my blood levels were all out of control. ... When they said, ‘We think you have leukemia,’ it was kind of just like a moment of silence.”
Pau was only a sophomore in college and was supposed to be at the pinnacle of her athletic ability. She didn’t want to accept that she’d exchange weekly battles on the court for a battle for her life.
“From the moment I got the diagnosis, I did not accept it, really,” Pau said. “I accepted the fact that I was here to play volleyball. And that’s where my mind was the whole time. So even in the bad days, it was my love for the game that kind of just put me through.”
TREATMENT
Even while undergoing grueling chemotherapy, Pau refused to give up her sport.
She played in 20 matches for the Broncos during the 2021 season, balancing treatment days, sick days and OK days with the help of her doctors and coaches. Sometimes, it was hard to tell Pau no.
“Kayly was fantastic about communicating with me,” Boise State coach Shawn Garus said. “I heard from our medical staff that there was no script for this, so I tried to have a plan going into the season knowing Kayly’s battling this illness, but she’s still available. We’d just have to modify some things, and we didn’t know what that was going to look like.
“We would think, ‘Well, let’s take an extra day off each week or we’ll only play one match a week.’ But then some days Kayly would just look great and have tons of energy and want to be out there. But we knew we couldn’t overdo it or she’d pay the price on the back end.”
When the treatments became too taxing, Pau missed the final 11 matches of the season, which included the Broncos winning the Mountain West Tournament championship and earning a spot in the NCAA Tournament. But her teammates made sure Pau never felt left out.
“I was never alone. My mom flew out a lot. I had my family back home and I had teammates that came and visited me,” Pau said. “I had my coaches. I had my significant other. Everyone always was there for me, so I never felt alone.”
REMISSION
After several months of treatment, Pau was declared cancer free in the spring of 2022.
She is now back with the Broncos full time and working to regain her strength and stamina. She has played in five matches this season as she works toward returning to 100 percent.
“Kayly plays with a lot of passion, and that’s why I love to see her out on the court,” Garus said. “She’s not just a tall athlete or a physical athlete, she’s a high-energy athlete. She gives 110 percent all the time.
“And she’s not a real needy player. She doesn’t care where the set is. She doesn’t care what the matchup is. She just goes out there and gives it her best all the time. And I’m really looking forward to her getting back on the court and playing with that confidence and playing the game that she loves.”
CELEBRATION
Fans are encouraged to wear orange to Thursday’s match, as it is the color representing leukemia awareness.
The first 200 fans will receive an orange rally towel, and commemorative wristbands will be available.
The Broncos will also be debuting new orange jerseys. The new Nike tops feature a message emblazoned inside the hem that encapsulates Pau’s spirit — “Be Brave.”
A special-edition orange replica jersey shirt featuring Pau’s name and number can be purchased online through the end of September at broncoshop.com. All the proceeds from the sale of the shirts will go toward offsetting’s Pau’s medical expenses.
“I never thought something like this would happen to me,” Pau said. “... It’s really important to listen to your body. The coaches honestly taught me that ... we needed to listen to my body. So with this being (blood cancer) awareness month, I think even the smallest things — whether you feel kind of sick one day or it just lingers on — don’t ignore it, because I could have ignored it and I could have not spoke up, and it definitely could have been a different story.”
This story was originally published September 21, 2022 at 3:04 PM.
