Cancer Care

When she was a sophomore at Lakewood High School, Kincaid found out she had liver cancer. Doctors said she probably wouldn’t be able to play sports again. The news was devastating.

“I had never been sick and didn’t understand why this was happening to me, especially young as I was,” she said.

Kincaid has beat the odds in her battle with cancer. Through it all, she remained positive by going to schools and teaching children never to give up.

Some say she is a walking miracle. At one point, the doctors weren’t even sure she was going to survive.

“I think what helped me get through it was that I was so young,” Kincaid said. “Having all the support of my parents (Phil and Kim Kincaid) and friends keeps me going … that, and I just try not to think about it. I just try to live life to the fullest.”

After having surgery to remove half of her liver in 2003, Kincaid endured chemotherapy, radiation and the loss of her hair.

Things were going fine and she returned to the softball field and signed to play at Mountain State University, an NAIA Division I school in Beckley, W.Va.

As a freshman, she started at second base for MSU and had a solid 2006 season.

At the end of the year, however, a spot developed on her liver. The spot continued to grow that summer and she learned she required a liver transplant.

She was put on the transplant list and received offers in December 2006 and January and February 2007, but they kept getting rejected because none of them seemed to be the right fit.

“The worst part was that I had to wait for someone to pass away to get a liver,” Kincaid said. “That’s when it really hit me.”

After several trips to the Cleveland Clinic, Kincaid was to be in Cleveland when the doctors said they had a match.

On April 12, 2007, after eight hours of surgery, Kincaid received her new liver, and it was revealed the cancer had not spread.

“It was great news, and to be honest, it all went really fast,” Kincaid said. “I was in the hospital for a week, and two weeks later, I was up walking.”

Kincaid recovered from her surgery during the summer and fall, and she returned to school with hopes of playing softball again.

“The biggest thing I was worried about was getting hit in the stomach and tearing the scar open,” Kincaid said. “When I was finally cleared to play, my instincts took over, and I realized I would be OK.”

Kincaid also switched positions, moving to third base, something she was apprehensive about.

“I’ve never been that close to the batter, so that was a little scary at first,” Kincaid said. “But I didn’t have time to think about it. There was a lot more action there, and as time went by, I really liked playing third.”

Although she has to take medication every day for the rest of her life, Kincaid showed no signs of someone who almost died.

This season, she batted .433 and led the team in slugging percentage (.640). She was second on the team in hits (65), had a team-leading five triples, hit three home runs and tied for the most RBI (47).

She was named first-team all-conference and NAIA all-region and carries a 3.5 grade-point averag, majoring in child psychology.

“I hope to someday work with little kids who have cancer or an illness,” Kincaid said. “The fact that I’ve been through it, I think I could relate to them and help them in a positive way.”

Kincaid is hopeful her liver will continue to function and the cancer will stay away, but in the meantime, she’s not going to sit back and wait for something bad to happen — she’s living life.

“I just try to go with the flow,” Kincaid said. “What’s the point of being upset? I know I have to live with this and only time will tell, but I’m optimistic.”

Source : www.newarkadvocate.com