All in!
That’s the phrase Dabo coined when he began his coaching career at Clemson.
It’s the words on the chips that players toss in a bucket before game time.
We see it on t-shirts, hats, and used often by Tiger fans.
It’s a way of life, lived out by the coaches and players.
And I’ve been “all in” on this cancer journey.
So I’ve seen pictures and heard of tons of my friends attending the Ladies’ Clinic each year and honestly it’s never been a good time for us to go. Beach trips, VBS, and other commitments have been that weekend and last year was just a “no go” for sure as I had just been diagnosed. So this year when I learned the date and time of the ticket sales, I set my reminder on my calendar and was “Johnny on the spot”. I easily scored my mom and I both one, within minutes of them going on sale. You see I was recuperating from my double mastectomy at the time and was truly tied down to the bed so I had a perfect opportunity to buy these bad boys.
And today was the day we’d been looking forward to for months. Starting our trip to Tigertown, we were greeted with the most beautiful sunrise and rainbow, together. They had called for rain all day and the bottom fell out when we pulled in our parking spot, but our trip there was truly like watching a painting from God. After arriving with 3,000 other ladies, the shopping began as we walked around the concourse to see a sea of orange, as there was tons of clothing, cute jewelry, and lots of other fun Clemson goodies. I was beginning to get a little claustrophobic when a lady tapped on my shoulder and asked if she could talk to me. She looked really familiar but I didn’t know her. I learned later that she was Jeff Scott’s wife, an offensive coach. I followed her, and that’s when I was asked to eat lunch with some of the players and do a little dancing competition. My first response was “sure, but why did you pick me?” She kindly answered with “you looked ALL IN and like you could be fun”. So my next worry was what would my mom do while I did that. My sweet momma said for me to go and she’d be fine and she was. She met sweet friends in the stands and ate lunch and watched her crazy daughter dance like a fool.
When I met my dance partner, Austin Bryant, defensive end and #7, for my Tiger fans, he was so nice. He greeted me with a huge hug and that’s when I asked him what song he had chosen to dance to.
Get ready for the huge God wink!
If you remember back in October when I was the chosen to be the Spirit or the Tiger honoree for the Georgia Tech game, it poured rain like never before. My friends and family who came literally poured water from their rain boots and were soaked. So before he told me the song he had selected, he asked me if I came to the Georgia Tech game last year. I was somewhat speechless but told him that I did and he proceeded to laugh about how crazy the rain was that night. He laughed as he shared the story of him and Christian Wilkins “swag surfing”’on the field as they were standing and playing in inches of standing water. I teared up, remembering the honor of that night, and told him that yes, that game was super special to me, and why.
I mean...really!!! That is just proof that God is so ultimately present in every element of my life?!
We practiced and practiced and then did our thing on the court with 5 other groups. The judges gave us a perfect 10 and we won the competition. I’m no dancer, I don’t have much rhythm, but I let it all go for that minute. I got ALL IN, and enjoyed every second of that fun time.
So to be selected today, and then him sharing his story of the game, and the song choice...this moment was just the cherry on top.
The check reveal was next with the collected amount from the event, which was the most money raised in the ten years that it has taken place.
$350,000!!!!!!
To see those checks and know that so many will benefit from this event and may even save their life, made me so proud.
A new mammography bus will be put on the road as well to allow women to get mammograms that may not have the means otherwise.
And as all of the survivors gathered on the court, wearing survivor medals, and holding each other up, Dabo poured his heart out to us, letting us know how proud he was and how much the event to raise awareness for breast cancer meant to him and his family. Both him and Kathleen are so real, and I feel honored to have gotten to know them on this journey.
Kathleen was back stage with the Pumps and Pearls event and was ever so kind when I was first fighting this battle.
And seeing so many friends and fellow survivors just truly made the day that much sweeter.
Spending time with my mom, my #1 fan, my best friend, and amazing caregiver was probably the best though. I looked up from the floor during the survivor honor moment to see her crying like a baby. Never, never would you want your child to go through something like cancer. She’s seen God in every moment of this road too, and I’m so happy that she’s walked with me, loving me through it. And she may be a Winthrop grad, but her love for the Tigers is fierce, like my love for her.
So to wrap it all up... today was amazing, wonderful and exhilarating, all in one.
I tried to purposefully soak it ALL IN.
I felt God’s presence in that colesium.
I felt Him nudging me to be brave and dance like crazy, like no one was really watching, like it was my dying day.
I felt Him when I stood with more than 200 survivors, looking into their eyes and feeling their pain.
And I felt His presence walking out and seeing the beautiful sunshine that came after a ton of rain, as it was a “sunshiny” day in Littlejohn.
He was there.
He’s been with me each step.
He’s ALL IN, in my life.
And I love knowing that.
“You are precious and honored in my sight...”
Isaiah 43:4
