"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." We've all uttered that line at times, but for Olivia Rovin it was more than just a quote, it was a mantra, a way of life for the last four months. The Shorecrest Prep sophomore was coming off a successful cross country season where she finished 11th at the state meet. She says she went into get a simple sports massage in late November, when the therapist mentioned she felt lymph-nodes above her right collarbone.
"I didn't think much of it, but I mentioned it to my parents, and they said they would keep an eye on it. As the area appeared to get more swollen, I had some tests done. After an MRI and some blood work, it was decided that I would have a biopsy to check out the area. On January 26th, I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma."
That same day her varsity soccer team had practice for the regional semi-final the next day. Although, she didn't go to practice since she had surgery, she did want to go to school and tell her teammates about the news in person. Rovin explained her diagnosis, but told the squad that, "cancer had messed with the wrong person."
Cancer is a scary word for any age person, let alone a sixteen year old girl, at the height of her youth. Hodgkin's Lymphoma is curable and if they are able to catch it early has about a 90% cure rate. Rovin admits she was angry and upset at first not knowing what to expect of the road ahead. She figured out her treatment plan and made it a mission to win the race, and do so fast.
"From my experience as an athlete, I have learned that the most important aspect of competition is the mental part. Someone can be in the best shape of his or her life, but if they aren't mentally ready, they will lose. To succeed, a person must believe in him or herself and visualize what they want."
The sophomore longed to be cancer free and took to an online blog to chronicle her journey. Nine days after her initial diagnosis, and days before her first chemotherapy treatment, Rovin gave back, donating ten inches of her hair to the charity Locks Of Love which "provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children under age 21 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis." She says getting her hair cut was important to her because she knew her hair wasn't go to be of use to her anymore.
"I didn't want it to go to waste. Cancer takes away the physical part of someone, and it felt good knowing that I was making its impact less powerful even in the smallest way. I just wanted to help kids who were going through what I was or worse."
After her biopsy on the 26th, she had a port put in on the 29th, and flew to Memphis to be enrolled in a study at St. Jude Children's Cancer Research Hospital. She received chemo once a week for the next eight weeks at All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg. In her blog Rovin writes about having the first round under her belt.
"1 down 7 to go. Everything went great, and I feel fine which I know (and hope) will continue. I'm just really glad to finally start killing all the cancer cells and begin this war. Cancer's going down! Fist emoji."
The following morning she woke up feeling fine and keeping that positive attitude essential for beating the disease. She noticed the area in her right collarbone where the cancer was to be less swollen. Doctors told her that it would appear that way over the next couple days, but for Rovin it was a matter of hours.
"I'm so happy that the cancer is beginning to shrink away, and I'm one step closer to being cured. It's one small step for cancer, one giant leap for Olivia and her life," she said.
Rovin wasn't the least bit surprised of her progress because she would expect nothing less from herself. She decided from the beginning that she was going to be strong and and wouldn't let cancer ruin her life. As impressive as her mindset, was the fact that she missed only one day of school due to feeling sick. She scheduled her chemo sessions at the end of the day on Fridays, so she wouldn't miss school.
Not only did the distance runner not miss school, but she didn't stop running track during the eight weeks either. She says she did have to miss some training days and a few meets when she wasn't feeling well, but she did her best to maintain fitness.
"I definitely didn't build any speed. I lightened many of the given workouts because my endurance just wasn't the same, and my breathing felt off during treatment. I still did speed work, but I often cut the workout in half. Often the most "long distance" I ran was about 3-4 miles. Luckily track does not require as much endurance as cross country, so I lucked out in that regard."
Running was a struggle because of her lack of strength. Since she had a port (a bubble like device that is inserted under the skin into a main vein) in her for the cancer treatments she was unable to do sit ups, push ups, and other core strengthening exercises. She says she was often frustrated, but just like with her diagnosis, she stuck it out, and kept fighting.
Rovin made her return to the track at the Shorecrest Invitational in front of her friends, classmates, and family, the same group that supporter her in this journey. She explains her main focus going into that first track meet was to just do the best based on how her body felt.
"The race didn't seem that different nor did the purpose. I just wanted to race like all the other runners out there and see what I could do. It definitely felt good to be competing in the midst of chemotherapy though. I felt strong even when I wasn't necessarily strong physically."
The Shorecrest standout continued to inspire others winning the Bay Conference Championship in 2:28, and then winning the district meet for the second consecutive year. Rovin, who lost her hair to the chemo and dawned a white head band in the race, says it was definitely very exciting for her to win districts, although, she never doubted the possibility despite her situation.
"Clearly I am not in my top running form. Yet, I never truly considered that the cancer/treatment would actually make physical things harder for me, so I don't think it did as much as it could have. I was definitely proud of myself that I accomplished this feat."
Rovin has even more good news to share. She was recently found cancer free and a day after being crowned district champion, had her port removed, officially marking the end of the road. She says its fair to say she won't go down without a fight, whether it's beating cancer or opponents on the track.
"This journey has taught me that I truly can do anything that I put my mind to. It was definitely not easy, but I did it. You never know what life is going to throw at you next, but there is no point in being afraid about the future because it doesn't help. Just like in a running race you just do the best you can and see what happens. And if you fall (or get tripped) you get back up and do the best you can to finish."
No matter how tomorrow's 1A Region 3 championship plays out, Rovin is a winner, and will have plans for the first weekend of May.
"My hope is to make it to state either with my 4x800 team or individually in the open 800. If not I will be celebrating defeating cancer at my school's Relay for Life Event which happens to be the same night as the state series."
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