HEADstrong Virtual 5K

When: September 26-27

Where: Wherever you can run

Social Media Hashtag: #BL9

Registration: Click Here

Heading into their 2020 season opener, members of the Southwestern University men's lacrosse team stood in front of their lockers, preparing to face the Hendrix Warriors. The usual chaos of a team preparing itself for a game filled the room except for one undisturbed locker: Benjamin Libby's. 

The junior attacker from San Antonio, Texas, was diagnosed with cancer in November. Head coach Bill Bowman left Libby's no. 9 jersey undisturbed in the locker, waiting for the return of its wearer the next spring. 

Libby, despite fighting the ravaging effects of his cancer and chemotherapy, didn't want to wait that long. So, in between treatments, Libby shaved his head and gathered his strength to make the trip up from San Antonio to Southwestern to be there for his teammates as much as they had been there for him. 

"The previous time they saw me in the hospital, I could barely walk because I was in so much pain," Libby said. "I wanted to show them I was getting better."

On February 8, hours before the first game of the season, junior defender Conor Medina was going through his regular pregame routine of listening to music and meditating when Libby walked through the door. 

"When he showed up, everyone got super excited," Medina said. "Everything was just elevated. We just wanted to run out there and play and win for him." 

With Libby on the sideline cracking jokes and cheering for his teammates, the Pirates defeated the Warriors 15-8. 

"Only a few people knew he was going to be there, but [Libby] wasn't going to miss it for the world," Bowman said. "Ben is just one of those guys that always makes you smile. He's someone who is one of the most well-liked members of the team. It added that extra bit of excitement and catapulted us to do what we did." 

The moment of joy stood in stark contrast to the fear of just a few months earlier in November when Libby was rushed to the emergency room in the middle of the night. 

"I woke up at 3:00 a.m. with what felt like a hot knife being twisted in my stomach," Libby said. "They went over scans and told me I had a volleyball-sized tumor in my liver and they needed to remove it as soon as they could." 

On November 20, surgeons removed a four-and-a-half-pound tumor and two-thirds of Libby's liver. Six days later, he was diagnosed with undifferentiated embryonal sarcoma of the liver, a rare form of cancer typically found in children between the ages of 6 and 10 years old, with only an average of four cases diagnosed in the U.S. each year. 

"I was just in shock. Even leading into the surgery, we were convinced it wasn't cancer. I was expecting to come back to school after Thanksgiving break like nothing happened," Libby said. "It was a reminder that a lot of things can be taken just like that. All my life, coaches have said practice or play a game like it's your last one, and that's real." 

After Libby's family, Bowman—who made several trips to Austin to check on Libby—was the first to hear the news. 

"When they confirmed what it was, it was just heartbreaking. It was hard for all us," Bowman said. "One thing I love about him, though, is that I've never seen anyone talk about it the way he did. He never talked about not beating it. He was always talking about what he was going to do when he beat it and came back. He handled it in a way I'm not sure most people are capable of."

Libby informed the team, and the outpouring of love and support was immediate and profound. 

"At one point, we heard from the nurses in the hall that they'd never seen so many people come in support, and they were excited he was able to have so many people who were there for him," Bowman said. "It was a testament to how close our team truly is." 

On January 24, Libby began a four-and-a-half-month chemotherapy regimen that would leave him immunocompromised and high-risk in the middle of a pandemic. As in-person visits became out of the question, Libby and his teammates stayed connected via technology. 

"We were on FaceTime a lot while he was getting treatments," Medina said. "Even through that, when he was feeling his absolute worst, he was still making jokes and having fun. That was encouraging. Through the whole ordeal, he was always Ben. He never lost his personality." 

Between the support of his teammates and opposing teams sharing his story and fundraising page on their respective social media accounts, Libby was reminded of why he fell in love with lacrosse in the first place. 

"I just really love the community because [lacrosse] is such an outsider's sport," Libby said. "If you come across another lacrosse player, even if you've never met before, there's instantly a connection." 

It is through that community that Libby connected with the HEADstrong Foundation, which provides financial assistance and a support system for cancer patients. Founded by Nicholas Collelouri, a lacrosse player at Hofstra who died in 2006 after a 14-month battle with large B-cell non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, HEADstrong has assisted over 16,860 families, raising over $15.5 million. 

The Southwestern University men's lacrosse team has worked a few times with HEADstrong and Brady's Bunch—another cancer foundation—since its beginnings, having had a few student–athletes whose family or friends were diagnosed with cancer. Every year, the Pirates wear green socks and shooter shirts one game as a tribute to HEADstrong. 

"Anyone who is involved in the lacrosse community knows of HEADstrong in some way," Libby said in an article on the HEADstrong foundation website. "I didn't understand when I was younger. I just saw the green lax heads and thought it was cool. As I went through high school, I understood more and more but never thought I would need to get involved." 

Almost immediately after his last chemo session, Libby began brainstorming how he could give back to a cause that had benefited him so much. In August, he organized a virtual 5K that will take place on the weekend of September 26, with hopes of raising $5,000. 

Participants who sign up to donate on his pledge page will be asked to take a screenshot of their route, time, and a picture running it and post them on social media with the hashtag #BL9. 

"The thing I loved about the whole situation is HEADstrong did what it was supposed to do: they came to Ben's aid and helped him in many different ways," Bowman said. "He took that, and this is his way of giving back to an organization that was very much needed by him. Ben will joke around, but he's always going to be the guy who is first in line to help you out, no matter how long it takes."

Since his chemo treatments ended in May, Libby has regained 30 pounds and much of his hair. Though he is remote learning in the fall, he hopes to make it back to his team and the no. 9 jersey sitting in his locker, playing an outsider's sport with an oversized sense of community.