Latest / Fightin' Words: The Official Podcast of the University of Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens / Fightin' Words: Episode 6 - Hanna Garber & Jen Steele

Transcript

Fightin' Words: Episode 6 - Hanna Garber & Jen Steele · Fightin' Words: The Official Podcast of the University of Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: It's time for Fighting Words, the official podcast of the University of Delaware Fighting Bluehead.
• 0:06
  SPEAKER_00: Here's your host, Ed LaFurge.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_01: And welcome into Fightin' Words.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_01: I'm your host, Ed Laferge.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_01: And usually I start this off with uh we've got a really exciting episode for you today, but I I don't want to use the word exciting for this.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_01: Um I'm thrilled to have the guests that we have on today, but this is going to be a real candid episode.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we're gonna talk about a member of the Fighting Blue Hen family who's who's battling through through cancer right now.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_01: Um and I'm really thoughtful around how we talk about this to make sure that she's comfortable with it, um, and to make sure that we can educate all of you on just some of the struggles that folks go through and and and how we have such a supportive Blue Hen family that has rallied behind her and her teammates and um the coaching staff, just to make sure that you know she knows that she's important to us here in in Newark, Delaware.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_01: And that's Hannah Garber from the softball team.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_01: She graduated a few years ago and um NCAA woman of the year nominee.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_01: Um she was just incredible.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_01: We're gonna get into her accolades in just a minute.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and then after that, her head coach Jen Steele will join us to talk about Hannah, her character, and you know what it was like having her here in Newark.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_01: So uh without further ado, uh excited to welcome in uh Hannah Garber.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_03: I'm excited to be here.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_03: It's been so much fun coming back to campus.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_03: Um I just feel like such like an energy, a presence when I come back.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_03: It's awesome.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_01: Well, we're happy to have you back to campus.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_01: Obviously, I wish it was for different reasons, but um, you know, you and I had talked a little bit about just using this as uh a way to educate people, right?
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_01: And a way for you to really have a voice and talk about it.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_01: Obviously, what you've meant to this institution and to the softball program has has been um very real.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_01: Um I mean, I'm gonna read through some of your four-time all CAA selection.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_01: You're one of two UD players ever with four all conference honors.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_01: One of two.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_01: One of five players ever with three first team selections, three-time all region, 2023 NCAA Delaware Woman of the Year nominee, 2023 CAA Leadership and Sport Excellence Award.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_01: You were the very first in Delaware history to be the CAA Defensive Player of the Year.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_01: Holds Delaware freshman record for steals in a season at 27, top five in program history in games played, hits, triples, run scored, stolen bases, total bases, average, on base percentage, extra base hits, walks, and the program leader in run score.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_03: That's wild.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_01: Is it kind of crazy to hear?
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_01: Like when you like actually look at it from kind of a bird's eye view.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_03: Which is, I mean, it's even wilder because now I play slow pitch softball and I feel like I feel like I'm so washed up.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_03: But yeah, at one point, at one point I was doing things, but um, yeah, it's that's wild for you to just read all of those accolades.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_03: And I feel like I mean, obviously I was successful here, but I think there was just so many people to thank for that.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_03: And I also think going through something real right now, um, battling cancer, the the adversity that I faced, like getting those awards and um playing with my teammates here, has only just helped me get through this process so much easier.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_01: Well, we're I want to talk about how you got to Delaware and that process and your time at Delaware before we jump into your diagnosis and everything that you're going through right now.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_01: Um Welcome back to campus, right?
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_01: We're excited to have you on the podcast.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_01: First of all, how are you feeling?
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_03: So um I have the what they call the red devil chemo.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_03: So it's the most aggressive type of chemo.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so it has not been a walk in the park, to say the least.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_03: Um unfortunately, I've been through a lot of nausea, vomiting.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_03: Um, my biggest issue, like yesterday, I was getting super dizzy.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_03: I couldn't stand for more than like, I don't know, a minute or two minutes at a time.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_03: So um it's just like being an athlete and then now having these symptoms, it's it's been difficult.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but my mom has been amazing.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, she's kind of been like my caregiver through this all.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_03: So she's helping me get through.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_03: I had about a liter of fluids put in me yesterday so I could feel good for today.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but yeah, um, if you've ever heard of chemo brain, chemo brain is absolutely real.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_03: It's essentially like I spent a lot of the last couple of days staring at a wall and like not having any thoughts.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_03: So um it's kind of like you're coming out of a concussion protocol almost, like where you just feel off.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_03: So please give me some grace today because my brain is all sorts of frazzled, but it's at least better than it's been.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_01: All the grace in the world.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_01: You take your time and whatever you need, we're here to support you.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_01: But let's let's before we get into life post-college, uh, I want to talk through your time here or the success that you had.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_01: Um, tell us about your recruiting journey and and how you ended up at Delaware.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_03: So I'm so old that it's pre um new recruiting rules.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_03: So I actually was going into my sophomore year of high school.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I actually went to camps, clinics, and games here since I was in middle school.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_03: Like this was like a dream school for me.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I'm only an hour away.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_03: I live in Lancaster.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_03: So I would come up and I would just like see the girls on the field.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_03: They were like bigger than life.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_03: And I was just like, I want to do that one day.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_03: And um I got an offer.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_03: I was actually um offered by a different coaching staff.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_03: Yes.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_03: And I was actually his first recruit, which was really odd in the timeline of things.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_03: Um, now he was gone by the time I was able to come here and play.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_03: But going into my sophomore year, I got an offer.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_03: And I, my dad actually had to stop me on the phone before I said yes because he was like, wait, no, no, you got to think about this a little bit, but I was just ready to say yes and um get going.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_03: So it was interesting.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_03: I had about three years where I was just like kind of ready to go, ready to be here.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_03: But of course, I had time to develop as well.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so yeah, I've just been really, I was so excited to be at Delaware and it was just where I wanted to be.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_03: And I felt really confident in my decision to be here.
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_01: When when you look back on your time in Newark, what what are some of the favorite memories that come to mind?
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_03: Um there are a lot.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_03: Um, there's a couple of highlights, but um, there just are really so many.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_03: Um so I'm only gonna try to name a few.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_03: Sure.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_03: Um, my first one was junior year.
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_03: Um, we I don't believe had made playoffs before that because my sophomore year was COVID and my freshman year, we were actually last in the conference.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_03: So we've really come a long way.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and we were, I think, ranked fifth or sixth um going into that tournament.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_03: And we had to do a play-in game as well, and we made it all the way to the championship.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_03: And it was just, it was such a team effort.
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_03: The energy um, like at playoffs, is just incredible.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_03: And it was so much fun too, because I was playing center field at the time, and then my younger sister Jules was playing left field.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_03: So um that was just that was just so awesome.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_03: I'll never forget that experience.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_03: Um, another one that comes to mind, we were playing Drexel.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_03: It was a 14-inning suspended game.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_01: Oh man.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_03: It was a really long, it was a really long game, and we had three games that we were supposed to play against them.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_03: So um the umpire called it right in the middle of my bat, too.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_03: I think there was like two, maybe it was a one-one count or something.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_03: So I'm like literally two like at bat.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I think someone was on as well.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_03: So tied game.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, we come back the next day, and we just have so much energy in the dugout.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_03: I'm like, oh, something's gonna happen.
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_03: And I let a pitch go.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_03: And then next pitch, I hit it over the fence.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_03: First time ever, probably only time I've hit one over the fence here.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and we ended up beating Drexel three times that day, technically.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so that just, I mean, Drexel was always our rival.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_03: Of course.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_03: We have so many rivals, but especially Drexel, it always got chippy with them.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_03: So it was just, it was so cool to beat them three times.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and then the last memory, it's it's softball adjacent.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I was on the e-board for two years, um, e-board of SAC.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_03: And um I started Hens Cup here, and it seems like Hens Cup is still going, it's still flourishing.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_01: Very much a thing.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_03: Really awesome.
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_01: And softball is very much still winning it every year.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_03: So I mean, it's just because I think my teammates loved me so much, and they they just got behind me like because I was so excited about this thing, and it's so great.
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, it promotes camaraderie in athletics, like for each other, even though it's a competition as well.
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_01: Well, you're athletes at the end of the day.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_01: You always are competitive and you want to win things.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_03: Exactly.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_03: And the Hens Cup is like this huge trophy too.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_03: Like, it's really cool to have.
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but yeah, so so that's still going.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and that was just a really cool memory.
• 9:00
  SPEAKER_03: I got to meet a lot of people on different um athletic teams that um shared like my same interests.
• 9:05
  SPEAKER_03: So that was a cool experience here.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_01: I uh I know that this place is literally a family affair for you, right?
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_01: Um you came here, your sister followed you here, you guys played together here.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, you met your boyfriend through one of your teammates here.
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_01: The coaching staff is like family to you.
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_01: Can you talk about that and and just what UD and Delaware softball means to you?
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, I feel like like I felt this, like truly felt this.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_03: Anytime I come back to campus, it's like coming home almost to the point where um I actually didn't want to leave the state of Delaware.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_03: I took a teaching job.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_03: I just couldn't make it work financially.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_03: So then I moved back home.
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_03: But um I just think playing, well, first off, playing with my sister was such an incredible experience.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_03: We actually grew up living in the same room together.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_03: And if you can imagine how that was, we were um, we bickered a lot.
• 9:59
  SPEAKER_03: We didn't really get along quite as much in high school, but um kind of living in our own separate apartments um and being able to see each other every day and like push each other to be better.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_03: Um, it just was such an amazing experience.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_03: Um, we lifted together on the same rack.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_03: We played uh my first year in the outfield together, and then she ended up taking over for center field.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_03: So that was just incredible.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_03: Like I can't imagine doing it with anyone else.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and then Chloe, who also came from my high school, I am dating her Chloe Blantz.
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, Chloe Blantz, um, the one and only Chloe Blant.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_03: We got to play shortstop and third base together in high school because I was a senior while she was a freshman.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_03: And I think that's the year we won the state championship.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_03: So, like all three of us coming to Delaware was really cool after that success.
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_03: But yeah, so I'm dating her brother.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_03: So um Chloe and Jules got together during COVID, hitched a plan to uh get the two of us together, and now we're six plus years strong.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_03: Wow.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_03: So Chloe is essentially my sister.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, of course, at the end of the day.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_01: Um and she's been if she's not your sister through your relationship, she's your sister because she was your teammate.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, exactly.
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_03: Exactly.
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_03: Um, yeah, well, I mean, we've had such a special bond, especially through this.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_03: Um, she's been incredible.
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_03: I can get into that then.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_03: But uh, she was actually my ride here.
• 11:21
  SPEAKER_03: Um, we've just been hanging out so much.
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and the coaches, I I couldn't imagine being here with any other coaching staff.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_03: They just immediately walking in, like we were kind of like freshmen together, essentially.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_04: Oh, yeah.
• 11:37
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so they it was really difficult the first year.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_03: There was a lot of hard things because they wanted to um make this program into a successful program.
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_03: And they pushed us so much.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_03: And I think it just they always saw such high, like they had such such high standards for me, and they always saw such potential that I didn't even see in myself.
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_03: And it just, I wouldn't be nearly half the athlete I would I am without them.
• 12:08
  SPEAKER_03: And like calling Coach Steele and telling her this news, um, I joked with her about it, but like I actually am kind of serious about it.
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_03: Whenever you tell someone like difficult news, they're pretty much shocked.
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and they don't show any emotion.
• 12:23
  SPEAKER_03: So, like me, I'm like, do you even care about me?
• 12:26
  SPEAKER_03: Like I have, but she was the only one that like broke down and cried.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_03: Like, I I feel such a strong connection with these three coaches, and um, they just they just made the experience here once in a lifetime to the point where I always want to come back and hang out with them.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_01: So what is what what do you think that says about the relationship that you have, knowing that you weren't one of their recruits, right?
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_01: Like you were here, they came in and you guys had to figure it out together.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_01: And it sounded like it was really just a match made in heaven.
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, I I just I whether you believe in God or you believe in um some higher being, like things happen for a reason.
• 13:09
  SPEAKER_03: I truly, truly believe that to my core.
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_03: And um, it was scary at first, like hearing that the coach that had recruited me for three years, he was an awesome guy.
• 13:19
  SPEAKER_03: Um he now was getting was left, and I just had three random women that I had no idea about.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so I just kind of trusted the process and I'm so glad I did.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_03: Um, they just have been, I mean, I'm now four years out and they have still continued to um keep me in their back pocket, um, to just embrace me fully when I'm back on campus or when I'm going through anything, they're they're a phone call away.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_03: Um, it's it's a really, really special relationship.
• 13:49
  SPEAKER_01: I think the family atmosphere at at Delaware really just speaks to how much we care about people.
• 13:57
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I want to shift post-college.
• 14:01
  SPEAKER_01: You jump right into to teaching and coaching softball.
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_01: How has that been going?
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_01: You know, tell us about that.
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_03: So um I'm a high school math teacher and I teach at the same place I coach.
• 14:13
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so it's I still live at home, actually, um, which has been helpful for this process.
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_03: But um, I have a group of girls that, so since it's my fourth year of teaching and coaching, they were freshmen and now they're seniors.
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_03: They're seniors.
• 14:28
  SPEAKER_03: So yeah, I I just I love them so much.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_03: Um, the softball team at Conestoga Valley, where I teach and coach, they're just special, special humans.
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_03: And um, it's been a journey for sure.
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_03: There were a lot of growing pains um because the program wasn't exactly um, we just had to kind of shift mindset and mentality my first couple of years.
• 14:53
  SPEAKER_03: But um, it's just so special to uh like give back and give the knowledge that I've learned here and um and through uh teaching and stuff to others.
• 15:05
  SPEAKER_03: Um and teaching-wise, I just speaking of family, Conestoga Valley High School, um, the math department especially, we're just like such a close-knit family.
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_03: They have been absolute rock stars throughout this process.
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and I couldn't imagine working with anyone else.
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_01: And I mean, going through what you're going through now, you're you're not teaching and coaching, right?
• 15:30
  SPEAKER_03: Nope.
• 15:31
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so unfortunately, I didn't realize this when I kind of put in my paperwork, but um, I'm not allowed to teach.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_03: Um, some people have done chemo and taught through it, but because I'm doing such an aggressive style of chemo, and because I'm already immunocompromised from some health issues prior, um, I'm seeing a hundred kids a day in the school.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_03: Like it would not be a good, yeah, it would not be a good.
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 15:56
  SPEAKER_03: So that took me a long time to wrap my head around.
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but I'm trying to still stay connected.
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_03: It's been difficult because I feel like a big part of my identity is um teaching, coaching, giving back, and like trying to just like be a positive influence in young people's lives.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_03: And I don't feel like I'm doing that as much.
• 16:17
  SPEAKER_03: But um, if I wasn't working right now, or it like if I was working right now, I wouldn't be able to do something like this.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_03: So um, so I'm just trying to find the positives in any way I can.
• 16:27
  SPEAKER_03: But um, luckily, Jules and Chloe, ironically enough, are taking over um coaching responsibilities right now.
• 16:35
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, so that worked out very well.
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_01: You can try to coach vicariously through those.
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_03: Yes.
• 16:41
  SPEAKER_03: Yes.
• 16:41
  SPEAKER_03: If you are FMLA people, do not, yeah.
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_03: I'm not doing that.
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_03: I'm not doing that at all.
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_03: I'm not coaching, I'm not doing anything.
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_03: Absolutely not.
• 16:49
  SPEAKER_03: But I'm still keeping taps.
• 16:51
  SPEAKER_03: So yeah, I'm doing what I can.
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_01: Let's let's let's shift to the recent development, right?
• 16:56
  SPEAKER_01: You you found out uh you got diagnosed with breast cancer at 26 years old.
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_01: Um how and when did you find out?
• 17:05
  SPEAKER_01: What was your reaction?
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I I imagine hearing hearing that at 26 is is pretty shocking.
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so restart.
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_03: Um we're early August.
• 17:19
  SPEAKER_03: I'm actually on a vacation with um the Blantz family.
• 17:22
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I found a lump in my boob, and I'm like, oh my gosh, like, what is this?
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_03: Like, I'm freaking out.
• 17:29
  SPEAKER_03: Um, of course, they're like, oh no, it's like, it's okay, it's okay.
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_03: Like, we're gonna enjoy this vacation and then you're gonna get back, you're gonna do your thing.
• 17:35
  SPEAKER_03: So it took me almost a month to get in with an OB.
• 17:38
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I don't know if it's more the issue with Lancaster OBs right now, or if it was because I'm young and I'm relatively healthy and they were like, oh, it can't be anything.
• 17:48
  SPEAKER_01: It's probably nothing, right?
• 17:49
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 17:49
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so I I kind of fought to um to get an appointment, initial appointment.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_03: Then I got an ultrasound, then I got a biopsy, did all the things.
• 17:58
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I'll never forget it.
• 17:59
  SPEAKER_03: It was a Monday, September 14th.
• 18:02
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I'm like on pins and needles the whole day waiting for a phone call and taught the whole day, um, tried to keep my mind off things.
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_03: All of a sudden I get a um a message alert in my like health portal and my results are right there.
• 18:17
  SPEAKER_03: Like before, before doctors can even like talk to me about it.
• 18:21
  SPEAKER_03: And all I see is the word carcinoma, and I'm like, oh no, like what is this?
• 18:26
  SPEAKER_03: So me and my coworkers actually go on ChatGPT and we put it in.
• 18:30
  SPEAKER_03: And um, Chat GPT did a good job of explaining things, but um, about 20 minutes later, I did get a call from the nurse to fully explain things.
• 18:38
  SPEAKER_03: They said it was stage one IDC, which is invasive ductal carcinoma, which happens to be um the most common type of breast cancer, which made me feel a little bit better.
• 18:49
  SPEAKER_03: And stage one, like you can't get better than that.
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_01: Early on.
• 18:53
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 18:53
  SPEAKER_03: So, so all indications were really positive.
• 18:57
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and also, if caught early, it's a 99% uh success rate, like survival rate.
• 19:03
  SPEAKER_03: So, so I was just in pure shock for about an hour.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_03: Um, my best friend um from work, my coworker, she um was just there to kind of calm me down, to help me get things sorted out.
• 19:17
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but it it was thoroughly shocking to say the least.
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_03: Um yeah, and that day, that day was tough.
• 19:26
  SPEAKER_03: Um the my my family came over, um, the Blands family came over and we just kind of like sat together.
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_03: Um, we cried a little bit.
• 19:37
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and we were just like, you know what, we're gonna all work together and we're gonna get get through this.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 19:43
  SPEAKER_01: And now, and now they eventually discovered it spread to your lymph node, right?
• 19:49
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_01: Tell us about that process.
• 19:51
  SPEAKER_03: So originally with stage one, um, you're able to get whatever type of surgery you want, and then um from there it's either radiation or like really low-grade chemo.
• 20:02
  SPEAKER_03: But unfortunately, they did find that it had spread to the lymph node, um, which increased it to stage two, which is still early, just not nearly as early.
• 20:11
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so my process became totally different.
• 20:14
  SPEAKER_03: So probably a day and a half after I learned that it's now stage two, I was immediately starting IVF, um, which is difficult if anyone's ever been through that, um, where I'm essentially feeding the tumor because it's a estrogen, um, it's an estrogen-fed tumor.
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so I did that for about 12 days, um, did the egg retrieval, same day as port surgery, and then two days later I start chemo.
• 20:42
  SPEAKER_03: So I have 16 weeks of chemo, um, eight treatments, four of the really yucky um red devil, and then four of a different one that causes different symptoms.
• 20:52
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and then I'll have about a month of recovery, um, do the double massectomy, and then radiation, and then reconstruction, most likely.
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_03: So um, instead of the process being a couple months, it's now turned into potentially a lot longer.
• 21:10
  SPEAKER_01: So that's a lot.
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_03: It is, yeah.
• 21:13
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_01: What was what was your reaction when you first found out that it was stage two and it had spread?
• 21:19
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I think I haven't cried a lot through this process, but I I broke down in the doctor's office.
• 21:27
  SPEAKER_03: And um, I think I think the biggest thing for me was realizing that I would have to make a decision at 26, far before I'm ready to have a family of my own.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_03: But knowing I want to, um, making the hard decision to start IVF and kind of pause my treatment and potentially even like aggravate the tumor.
• 21:46
  SPEAKER_03: Um so so yeah, that was really difficult.
• 21:50
  SPEAKER_03: And the other thing that um comes with that is unfortunately our healthcare system does not, or at least my healthcare, I don't know about anyone else's, but um does not cover any.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_03: Fertility costs.
• 22:01
  SPEAKER_03: And it's quite a pretty penny for fertility treatments these days.
• 22:06
  SPEAKER_01: So that that's a good segue into, you know, I I found out from a social post that uh on on Twitter that Coach Steele had put out with the GoFundMe page that that Chloe had started.
• 22:17
  SPEAKER_01: And um to date, as of late last week, I should say,$56,000 from over 450 people.
• 22:30
  SPEAKER_01: What does it mean to you to hear those numbers, to know that there's so many people out there that are supporting you?
• 22:39
  SPEAKER_03: I I was just absolutely blown away by um I mean that the I just like it was it was like dumbfounding to see the names and the people who were willing to financially or emotionally or um any way they could support me.
• 23:00
  SPEAKER_03: I it was I mean it was like a like a life reunion.
• 23:04
  SPEAKER_03: Like I was having people from all walks of my life come back into it.
• 23:09
  SPEAKER_03: And I had never felt so supported and loved.
• 23:12
  SPEAKER_03: And it it, whether I realized it or not, there was this huge financial burden um sitting on me that I didn't realize and it finally lifted off.
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_03: And I just felt like I was able to then fight this and um give it my all and just focus on what really matters, which is my health versus the financial costs of all of this.
• 23:35
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and actually, Chloe, Chloe was funny.
• 23:38
  SPEAKER_03: I I didn't want to do a GoFundMe.
• 23:40
  SPEAKER_03: I was adamant about that for weeks.
• 23:42
  SPEAKER_03: Um, my my coworker that I mentioned earlier, she she's like my best friend.
• 23:47
  SPEAKER_03: She was in and out of my room multiple times a day, like, let me do a fundraiser for you, let me do it.
• 23:52
  SPEAKER_03: Like, and I was like, it's okay.
• 23:53
  SPEAKER_03: I'm gonna be okay, it's gonna be fine.
• 23:55
  SPEAKER_03: And then Chloe was just like, no, I'm not taking no for an answer.
• 23:58
  SPEAKER_03: I'm gonna do this.
• 23:59
  SPEAKER_03: And it's just been absolutely insane.
• 24:03
  SPEAKER_03: I like it makes me emotional to think about all the love and support that all communities have for me at this time in my family.
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I I I think so you and I got on the phone, I don't know, a week ago, two weeks ago to to talk about having you on and you know what you're comfortable with talking about and whatnot.
• 24:22
  SPEAKER_01: And and one of the things that struck me immediately was just you were your normal, cheery, happy, positive self.
• 24:30
  SPEAKER_01: And I had said to you that that was really um that was incredible to to to see and to hear.
• 24:37
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, we've all seen, you know, family members or people that we know go through this, and it's not always easy to be as as as positive and upbeat.
• 24:46
  SPEAKER_01: And so what what do you think kind of drives that in you?
• 24:51
  SPEAKER_03: Um, well, I think one part has to especially do with the uh like just the overwhelming, like literally overwhelming support.
• 25:01
  SPEAKER_03: Like I I still every day have like 50 unread messages.
• 25:04
  SPEAKER_03: I can only imagine.
• 25:05
  SPEAKER_03: Sorry, sorry to those of you who are unread right now, but I just I just feel such love and I feel like it the positive energy people are bringing, the positive prayers and everything is truly working.
• 25:18
  SPEAKER_03: I think um the biggest piece of advice I've gotten through this process is you have to go in with a positive mindset.
• 25:24
  SPEAKER_03: And um, whether it's people like encouraging me that's brought up this or also like facing adversity here in through athletics, like um I didn't necessarily have an easy ride here.
• 25:37
  SPEAKER_03: I had a lot of illness issues and I had a ton of injuries.
• 25:40
  SPEAKER_03: I had like three surgeries the last three years.
• 25:43
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and being able to push through now, those look little in comparison, but I feel like they just kind of fueled my um like kind of grit level.
• 25:55
  SPEAKER_03: And something like this seems a little bit more manageable.
• 25:58
  SPEAKER_01: It's kind of that that that blue hen built mentality that we we talk about, right?
• 26:03
  SPEAKER_01: Like we we have a chip on our shoulders here, and yeah, you know, uh it's it's helping you in in life.
• 26:08
  SPEAKER_01: And that's that's what we do in athletics, right?
• 26:10
  SPEAKER_01: Like our goal is to help prepare our student athletes for life after college.
• 26:14
  SPEAKER_01: Certainly we don't prepare you to go through a battle with breast cancer, but you know, if some of those moments on the field and and some of those adversaries that that that you you had, if you didn't have them, maybe, maybe you wouldn't have such the positive attitude that you have.
• 26:29
  SPEAKER_03: Exactly.
• 26:29
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I mean, again, it goes back to like everything happens for a reason.
• 26:32
  SPEAKER_03: Like my road wasn't easy here, and yeah, it just makes something like this feel a lot more manageable.
• 26:39
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, yeah.
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_01: Well, that's awesome to hear.
• 26:41
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, from following your your your caring bridge, it sounds like things have been it's been a strenuous go with your treatments and yeah, um everything that you've had so far along your journey.
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_01: Um, how has it been?
• 26:56
  SPEAKER_01: And I know on your caring bridge, it's uh your family posts a lot.
• 26:59
  SPEAKER_01: You've mentioned your family a number of times.
• 27:01
  SPEAKER_01: Um how has it been having having a support system like your family in it with you to be there for you, to help you, to to you know see you through it every day?
• 27:12
  SPEAKER_03: It's really interesting because I feel like everyone in my family, like my immediate family, has taken on a different role.
• 27:18
  SPEAKER_03: Um, my mom is online for the first time in like 20, 30.
• 27:22
  SPEAKER_03: I don't know how long she's been teaching, but she's been teaching a while.
• 27:25
  SPEAKER_03: She's fully online.
• 27:27
  SPEAKER_03: So she is like my primary caregiver.
• 27:29
  SPEAKER_01: She, I mean, she is that she's a she's a college professor, right?
• 27:33
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, yeah, yeah.
• 27:34
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so she has just been my rock.
• 27:37
  SPEAKER_03: Um, whether I needed some more water or um just literally someone to cry with.
• 27:42
  SPEAKER_03: Like she, she is such an empath.
• 27:45
  SPEAKER_03: And like I feel like I it just it's been, I can't even like describe how much it means to me to have a mom like her.
• 27:55
  SPEAKER_03: Um, my dad has been wonderful as well.
• 27:57
  SPEAKER_03: He's been a rock in a lot of ways, and he's just been like inspirational.
• 28:03
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and also like he's been really real.
• 28:06
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and then my older sister, she is like the big researcher.
• 28:10
  SPEAKER_03: So she is constantly coming back with, well, what about this?
• 28:13
  SPEAKER_03: Well, what about this?
• 28:14
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and I do not want to do any research.
• 28:16
  SPEAKER_03: So that's been really nice.
• 28:18
  SPEAKER_03: She's brought up some great questions um to give my doctors.
• 28:21
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and then my younger sister, she is taking over coaching responsibilities.
• 28:25
  SPEAKER_03: She's over all the time.
• 28:27
  SPEAKER_03: She'll even donate her wiener dog for me to just have like a little dog around.
• 28:32
  SPEAKER_03: Um, yeah, so and she loves that thing.
• 28:34
  SPEAKER_03: So that's that's a big ask for her.
• 28:36
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but yeah, everyone's just kind of like stepped up in so many different ways and more ways than I even realize.
• 28:42
  SPEAKER_03: Um, because a lot of it's going on behind the scenes while I'm like sleeping three days away.
• 28:47
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but yeah, it's just my family is, I knew my family was special before this, but I didn't know how special they were until something like this happens.
• 28:56
  SPEAKER_01: Wow, that's that's incredible.
• 28:57
  SPEAKER_01: It really is.
• 28:58
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, given given the changes in your life, right?
• 29:02
  SPEAKER_01: Not working, not coaching, what does your day-to-day look like?
• 29:06
  SPEAKER_03: So every day is different.
• 29:09
  SPEAKER_03: Um, obviously, uh, but because I'm on two-week treatment cycles, um, so I'll I'll go in for treatment on Friday.
• 29:17
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I'll not feel good.
• 29:19
  SPEAKER_03: I'll be asleep, slash sick, slash throwing up.
• 29:23
  SPEAKER_03: I even have my throat bag just in case, but I'm good.
• 29:25
  SPEAKER_03: I'm feeling good.
• 29:27
  SPEAKER_03: Um I've been getting a lot more dizziness now.
• 29:30
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so the first like I would say three to five days are pretty rough.
• 29:35
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so I'm really not doing much.
• 29:37
  SPEAKER_03: I'm watching a lot of NCIS, Hawaii 5.0.
• 29:39
  SPEAKER_03: If you have any um show suggestions, let me know.
• 29:42
  SPEAKER_03: Um, just trying to keep myself like alive and rested and hydrated.
• 29:48
  SPEAKER_03: That's big.
• 29:48
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and then I start to slowly feel better.
• 29:51
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and as I'm slowly starting to feel better, uh Chloe will come over.
• 29:55
  SPEAKER_03: We'll do crafts like all day.
• 29:57
  SPEAKER_03: We'll watch like really raunchy uh television.
• 30:01
  SPEAKER_03: And um, it's just fun, like reality TV.
• 30:03
  SPEAKER_03: It's not nothing too crazy, but um, but it's just it's really fun to just have a person there.
• 30:09
  SPEAKER_03: Um, she is willing to do any craft I want.
• 30:12
  SPEAKER_03: Um, she's just been, she's been a big rock of mine as well.
• 30:15
  SPEAKER_03: Um, she'll bring over our dogs.
• 30:17
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, we have two dogs.
• 30:19
  SPEAKER_03: Um, me and me and her brother have a dog, and then she has a dog and their sister.
• 30:23
  SPEAKER_03: So like they they're just amazing.
• 30:25
  SPEAKER_03: So they'll come over as well.
• 30:26
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so I don't lose my mind as much.
• 30:28
  SPEAKER_03: Um, we'll go on walks every once in a while.
• 30:30
  SPEAKER_03: And then that week leading up to the next treatment session, I'm doing so much better.
• 30:36
  SPEAKER_03: So I'm I'm up, I'm moving around, I'm trying to get workouts in.
• 30:39
  SPEAKER_03: Um, workouts look a lot different right now.
• 30:41
  SPEAKER_03: But yeah, I'm I'm at least doing stuff.
• 30:45
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I'm losing my mind a little bit, but um but so many people have offered to come over and do stuff.
• 30:52
  SPEAKER_03: So so I'm hanging in there for now.
• 30:54
  SPEAKER_01: And that's like kind of where you're at right now, right?
• 30:56
  SPEAKER_01: Like you're on this this stretch where you're gonna have a couple days where it's like you feel pretty good, you're you're trending in an upward direction.
• 31:02
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, yeah.
• 31:03
  SPEAKER_03: Today was my first up day.
• 31:04
  SPEAKER_03: So if we were talking yesterday at this time, I would probably be asleep or just like dizzy, or um, I got some fluids in yesterday.
• 31:12
  SPEAKER_03: So I I'd feel so much better today.
• 31:13
  SPEAKER_01: But that's good.
• 31:15
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, I I want to round this out with, you know, giving you the opportunity.
• 31:19
  SPEAKER_01: Like, what do you want people to know about your journey thus far, breast cancer as a whole?
• 31:24
  SPEAKER_01: Like, what what is it that that that what message do you want out there?
• 31:28
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I mean, first off, I just think sharing the story is important because I was not ready for this.
• 31:36
  SPEAKER_03: Um, we have no cancer in our family whatsoever.
• 31:40
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so I have a couple stats.
• 31:42
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I should probably like make sure I say these right.
• 31:45
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but less than 10% of breast cancer cases are actually genetic based.
• 31:51
  SPEAKER_03: So the question I kept getting over and over after I would tell someone, or like even like from my doctors, is oh, like, do you have any cancer in your family?
• 31:58
  SPEAKER_03: Do you have any breast cancer in your family?
• 32:00
  SPEAKER_03: No, no, we don't.
• 32:01
  SPEAKER_03: And most of the time, almost 90% of the time, that's not the case.
• 32:06
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so it can happen to anyone.
• 32:08
  SPEAKER_03: And um, I don't know if this is quite true, um, but I feel like it's trending towards 50 is now the new 25 when it comes to breast cancer.
• 32:18
  SPEAKER_03: Um, it's just happening earlier and earlier.
• 32:20
  SPEAKER_03: And it's something in the environment.
• 32:22
  SPEAKER_03: We don't know exactly why this is happening, but there's so much more research going into why this is happening.
• 32:27
  SPEAKER_03: But it's important for people to understand also, one in eight women get breast cancer at some point in their lives.
• 32:35
  SPEAKER_03: Like, one in eight, that is a lot.
• 32:38
  SPEAKER_03: That is over 10%.
• 32:40
  SPEAKER_03: I should know the exact percentage, but I don't right now.
• 32:43
  SPEAKER_01: Um I mean, I I I hear that and like I sit and think about like we have rosters that have 25 kids on it.
• 32:49
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
• 32:49
  SPEAKER_01: That's three of them.
• 32:50
  SPEAKER_03: Exactly.
• 32:51
  SPEAKER_03: Some point in their lives.
• 32:52
  SPEAKER_03: And it unfortunately it's trending earlier.
• 32:54
  SPEAKER_03: Like it's just, it's something that needs to be known.
• 32:59
  SPEAKER_03: Like, I didn't learn this in school.
• 33:01
  SPEAKER_03: I didn't learn how to.
• 33:02
  SPEAKER_03: Um, the other thing is, and we're gonna get a little personal here, if that's okay.
• 33:06
  SPEAKER_03: It's okay.
• 33:07
  SPEAKER_03: Um, breast examinations.
• 33:10
  SPEAKER_03: Not everyone's favorite topic, but it's a really, really important topic.
• 33:14
  SPEAKER_03: Um, there are so many great resources out there.
• 33:17
  SPEAKER_03: It's not just like a touch feel and you're done.
• 33:20
  SPEAKER_03: It's like a full thing.
• 33:21
  SPEAKER_03: So um there are so many great websites out there, the breast cancer coalition, um, the one for one foundation.
• 33:28
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I'll take a quick pause.
• 33:30
  SPEAKER_03: The one for one foundation is started by Paige Tanicki.
• 33:35
  SPEAKER_03: She just went through breast cancer last year at the age of 22.
• 33:39
  SPEAKER_03: She was an Oregon softball player.
• 33:41
  SPEAKER_03: She's now still playing professional softball after all of this crap.
• 33:45
  SPEAKER_03: Wow.
• 33:46
  SPEAKER_03: And she is a rock star.
• 33:48
  SPEAKER_03: She's actually been a really great resource for me because I have not met someone near my age, especially like a former softball player too.
• 33:55
  SPEAKER_03: I'm like, I'm an absolute fan.
• 33:58
  SPEAKER_03: I'm in awe of the fact that she's willing to reach out to me and you've connected with her.
• 34:02
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 34:02
  SPEAKER_03: Yep.
• 34:02
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, wow.
• 34:03
  SPEAKER_03: We've been texting.
• 34:03
  SPEAKER_03: Um yeah, I sent her a DM and then she immediately sent me her phone number and she was like, I'm gonna be here for you.
• 34:10
  SPEAKER_03: And she is just, she has been such a breath of fresh air and such a great resource for me.
• 34:16
  SPEAKER_03: But um, anyways, her her foundation is one for one.
• 34:19
  SPEAKER_03: She's got a ton of great resources for young athletes going through cancer or just like young people in general.
• 34:25
  SPEAKER_03: Like she's got the breast examination.
• 34:28
  SPEAKER_03: She's got so many great resources, educational stuff there for everyone.
• 34:32
  SPEAKER_03: And um, it's starting to really grow.
• 34:35
  SPEAKER_03: Um, she just started this at I think the beginning of October, which was perfect timing.
• 34:40
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, that's the other thing.
• 34:41
  SPEAKER_03: It's like breast cancer awareness month.
• 34:43
  SPEAKER_03: And of course, like my timing is impeccable with this.
• 34:46
  SPEAKER_03: Um so yeah, um, I would say if you are a female, young female, old female, whatever, whatever type, or if you have some females that you love in your life, hopefully you do.
• 34:56
  SPEAKER_03: Hopefully you have a bunch.
• 34:57
  SPEAKER_03: Um, tell them to do monthly breast examinations.
• 35:00
  SPEAKER_03: Like, literally, like in your in your phone right now, put a reminder in to do it.
• 35:05
  SPEAKER_03: Because we're not gonna say, we're not gonna do it if you don't have a reminder.
• 35:08
  SPEAKER_03: And I think monthly is probably maybe not enough, but at least it's better than nothing.
• 35:12
  SPEAKER_03: So yeah, monthly reminder, do the breast exam, uh, do it in the shower.
• 35:17
  SPEAKER_03: Apparently, that's better.
• 35:18
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and just be aware of your body because you the, I mean, the biggest stat, my favorite stat to share is 99% of women who catch it early survive.
• 35:34
  SPEAKER_03: So it's all about early detection.
• 35:36
  SPEAKER_03: It matters.
• 35:36
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, absolutely.
• 35:38
  SPEAKER_01: Well, Hannah, thank you for coming on.
• 35:40
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you for sharing your story.
• 35:42
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you are an inspiration to a ton of people.
• 35:47
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and so we're really grateful to have you as a as a blue hen.
• 35:51
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you.
• 35:52
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you so much for having me, for giving me an excuse to come back to campus.
• 35:55
  SPEAKER_03: This has been so much fun, and I really hope someone gets something out of this.
• 35:59
  SPEAKER_01: Well, you you know, you always know you've got a ton of people here in Newark cheering for you, supporting you, and and wanting to see you do well.
• 36:06
  SPEAKER_03: So thank you.
• 36:07
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 36:08
  SPEAKER_01: That was Hannah Garber.
• 36:09
  SPEAKER_01: Was thrilled to be able to chat with her and tell her story and really just spread awareness about uh this terrible disease.
• 36:16
  SPEAKER_01: When we come back, uh, we're gonna be joined by her head coach, Jen Steele, and talk a little bit about Hannah.
• 36:21
  SPEAKER_01: Stay tuned.
• 36:22
  SPEAKER_00: Delaware football is coming back loaded after a historic 2025 season.
• 36:27
  SPEAKER_00: QB won Nick.
• 36:32
  SPEAKER_00: Return to the expectations have never been higher.
• 36:36
  SPEAKER_00: Whether we all end with the season tickets, taking the partial plan for driving seats out for 2022.
• 36:45
  SPEAKER_00: Mr.
• 36:45
  SPEAKER_00: Blue Hands.com today and be there for the fun and excitement of Delaware football.
• 36:51
  SPEAKER_00: Go hand.
• 36:52
  SPEAKER_01: And welcome back into Fightin' Words.
• 36:54
  SPEAKER_01: It was uh really incredible to sit down and talk to Hannah about her journey and and just hear everything that she's going through.
• 37:00
  SPEAKER_01: And and I I just it it's so remarkable to me how positive and upbeat, and that's how she was as a student here, and to see that that's who's still that's still who she is, you know, four years later while she's going through um the most challenging thing of of her life is absolutely incredible.
• 37:16
  SPEAKER_01: But now we're joined by her head coach, Jen Steele.
• 37:18
  SPEAKER_01: Coach Steele, thanks for uh taking a couple minutes to chat about Hannah.
• 37:22
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, thanks.
• 37:23
  SPEAKER_01: This is uh you're going into year nine at Delaware, and your very first year was Hannah's freshman year.
• 37:32
  SPEAKER_01: And so she wasn't, we talked about it with Hannah.
• 37:34
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, she wasn't one of your recruits, but like you come in and you know, she said that she totally embraced you guys and and and loved everything that you guys were were doing.
• 37:44
  SPEAKER_01: You were challenging on her because you guys were setting standards and expectations.
• 37:47
  SPEAKER_01: And at what point did you realize how special she was and and how incredible she was gonna be as both a student athlete and and and just as a human being?
• 37:57
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it it was really early on in her in her fall the fall of her freshman year because she came in um just ahead of a lot of her peers because she had a different skill set.
• 38:09
  SPEAKER_02: So she she hit from the left side and she could bunt and she could slap, and um her game IQ was really good.
• 38:16
  SPEAKER_02: She her she comes from a big baseball, softball family.
• 38:21
  SPEAKER_02: Her father had coached her, she got an uncle who's an MLB scout.
• 38:24
  SPEAKER_02: Her older sister, Brie, um, played at Westchester's all in their record books.
• 38:28
  SPEAKER_02: And so she just she she had all of these people to kind of lead her, and so her IQ was really good.
• 38:34
  SPEAKER_02: So we were like, this is a really, really special player.
• 38:37
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and we knew she was a special athlete too, because Hannah cared so deeply about doing the right thing all the time and really wanted to make us proud.
• 38:47
  SPEAKER_02: And so um her freshman year, I look back on it and I think of year one for us.
• 38:52
  SPEAKER_02: We had so many young players then, and it was year one, it was transition, it was challenging.
• 38:57
  SPEAKER_02: But Hannah Garber absolutely led the way that year, um, which ended up, she ended up obviously having a really special career, but we knew early on that she was gonna be a marquee player for us.
• 39:09
  SPEAKER_01: What does she mean to to you and and to this program?
• 39:12
  SPEAKER_02: Uh everything.
• 39:14
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, Hannah is, I think, single-handedly, the best blue hen we've ever had.
• 39:20
  SPEAKER_02: And that's that's saying a lot because we've had some really special players.
• 39:24
  SPEAKER_02: Katie Scheivert started every game.
• 39:26
  SPEAKER_02: Sydney Schaefer's the best hitter we've ever had, she was a conference player of the year.
• 39:30
  SPEAKER_02: Billy Kerwood, Emily Winburn, you know, Morgan Hess is an incredible two-way player.
• 39:35
  SPEAKER_02: I could just keep going on and on.
• 39:36
  SPEAKER_02: We've had a lot of really special players.
• 39:38
  SPEAKER_02: Her younger sister Jules' name is all in our record book, too, right?
• 39:42
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but Hannah stands out because Hannah is the most complete player we've ever had.
• 39:48
  SPEAKER_02: She came in, um, like I said, she had a lot of foot speed, could drop the bunt, slapped, but her ability to develop as a hitter throughout her career was remarkable.
• 39:58
  SPEAKER_02: And that was so much trust that she had to change swing path and to believe in um philosophy, I would say, on the offensive side.
• 40:06
  SPEAKER_02: She was our starting center fielder for three years, and this is how special Hannah was.
• 40:10
  SPEAKER_02: We had a mid-year roster change, and we found ourselves without a third baseman.
• 40:15
  SPEAKER_02: I think it was her true senior year, maybe.
• 40:18
  SPEAKER_02: And all of a sudden, we were like, What are we gonna do?
• 40:22
  SPEAKER_02: And we're like, Well, we we guess we'll just put Hannah there because you know it's Hannah.
• 40:26
  SPEAKER_02: We'll see, we'll see what she can do.
• 40:27
  SPEAKER_02: She had never played third base in her life, and then that spring she was the CIA defensive player of the year.
• 40:33
  SPEAKER_02: So, you know, that's how special of an athlete she is.
• 40:36
  SPEAKER_02: So Hannah Garber is Blue Hen royalty as far as softball goes.
• 40:41
  SPEAKER_02: What she means as a person, I have a really hard time articulating.
• 40:45
  SPEAKER_02: You're talking about the salt of the earth.
• 40:47
  SPEAKER_02: And so she is just this remarkable human.
• 40:51
  SPEAKER_02: Her integrity and her character are probably the best I've ever coached.
• 40:56
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and that's such a tribute to to Diana and Todd, her parents, you know, the Garber family to us.
• 41:02
  SPEAKER_02: Um, they've supported us, they've supported the university, the department, they're loyal, um, they're incredible fans.
• 41:10
  SPEAKER_02: And so it's really been a family atmosphere.
• 41:13
  SPEAKER_02: And um, I'm so thankful that our paths have crossed.
• 41:16
  SPEAKER_02: And you know, during this time of her life, we can continue to still show up for her the way she showed up for us for five years.
• 41:22
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 41:24
  SPEAKER_01: Talk about the character that you've seen her display in the time that you've known her.
• 41:30
  SPEAKER_02: You know, Hannah she had a way of leaving an impact on people whenever she was around them, whether it was her teammates that she could make better, um, whether it was opponents that played against her.
• 41:44
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, she has this throughout this cancer journey.
• 41:47
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you've probably seen the GoFundMe that was posted that what an incredible amount of money that it raised in such a short amount of time.
• 41:54
  SPEAKER_01: If you're by so many people.
• 41:56
  SPEAKER_02: So many people.
• 41:57
  SPEAKER_02: What you probably don't know is if you scroll through those names, you see how many opponents donated.
• 42:04
  SPEAKER_02: Wow.
• 42:04
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and a remarkable amount.
• 42:06
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, I saw so many Hofstra student athletes and other student athletes that she played against in the CAA donating and giving money.
• 42:14
  SPEAKER_02: And that's impact, right?
• 42:16
  SPEAKER_02: Because Hannah Garber was a player that you hated to play against, but you couldn't hate her.
• 42:22
  SPEAKER_02: You know, because there are some players, you know, this you've been around sports a long time.
• 42:25
  SPEAKER_02: And you, it's like, oh, they're good.
• 42:27
  SPEAKER_02: And I really, well, I just like you, maybe because of the way you act, right?
• 42:33
  SPEAKER_02: Not Hannah.
• 42:34
  SPEAKER_02: Um, she she was a classy, classy player.
• 42:37
  SPEAKER_02: There is there's a game I'm remembering specifically, it I think it was her senior season.
• 42:42
  SPEAKER_02: So it's probably 22, right?
• 42:44
  SPEAKER_02: So we're playing Drexel, it's a 14-inning game.
• 42:47
  SPEAKER_02: It gets called, I think either rain or darkness.
• 42:51
  SPEAKER_02: I don't know if we had lights then.
• 42:52
  SPEAKER_02: I don't remember, but the game was called, and she was in the middle of an at-bat.
• 42:55
  SPEAKER_02: I don't remember the count.
• 42:56
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but so we had to come back on Sunday to finish that game and then play a doubleheader.
• 43:01
  SPEAKER_02: And it was, you're just exhausted, right?
• 43:03
  SPEAKER_02: It's 14 innings.
• 43:04
  SPEAKER_02: First pitch of the game, Hannah hits a walk-off home run, like to resume the 14th inning.
• 43:09
  SPEAKER_02: And then it was silly because the umpires have to go and change, and you're like, do you really just roll on?
• 43:14
  SPEAKER_02: But Hannah, like, she had a little fist pump as she's rounding the bases, but that was about the most emotion she would ever show.
• 43:21
  SPEAKER_02: And so she was such a classy player, and that spoke to her character because she never showboated, she was humble, she showed up every day, she outworked everyone else, and she was just a remarkable teammate.
• 43:31
  SPEAKER_02: So, um, you know, we've we've seen her grow so much from freshman Hannah to fifth year Hannah to like the adult woman, like coaching and teaching, and just really proud of her.
• 43:43
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but I would say not at all surprised.
• 43:46
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 43:46
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I I know family is very important to Hannah, it's very important to you.
• 43:51
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and it's clear that the two of you have have really built a relationship over the years.
• 43:56
  SPEAKER_01: What's it been like to have her family be such a so and you've talked About her parents a little bit, but like to be such a supporting part of the program, right?
• 44:04
  SPEAKER_01: Like Hannah was here, and then you also had her sister Jules, right?
• 44:08
  SPEAKER_01: So it's like it was it's really, you know, the the relationship that you have with that family is is is very real.
• 44:15
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, we didn't just get Hannah, we got the whole Garber family.
• 44:18
  SPEAKER_02: Um and it's it's really meant everything, you know.
• 44:24
  SPEAKER_02: Coaching, and you'll hear every coach say this, and it's cliche because it's true the the parts for us that are the most enjoyable aren't the wins.
• 44:32
  SPEAKER_02: The wins are great, but it is the relationships.
• 44:34
  SPEAKER_02: And for me, it's the relationships once they leave.
• 44:38
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and we can see is that relationship strong?
• 44:41
  SPEAKER_02: So because when they're here and you have FaceTime every day and you're working together towards a common goal, it's really easy to be aligned with one another.
• 44:48
  SPEAKER_02: But once they leave, can you still find that same alignment and can you fit in a different part of their lives?
• 44:53
  SPEAKER_02: And you know, this process in itself and supporting her during her cancer journey, I was just honored that she she called to tell us, you know, and and I was sitting and I was thinking about it and I was like, you know, Hannah called us because we're important people in her life and she knew what this news would do to us as her coaching staff.
• 45:13
  SPEAKER_02: And we get to support her during this next phase.
• 45:17
  SPEAKER_02: But, you know, after I talked to Hannah the night she called me the next morning, the first person I reached out to, she probably doesn't even know this.
• 45:25
  SPEAKER_02: I had a text with Diana and Todd, you know, like, hey, how are you doing as her parents?
• 45:30
  SPEAKER_02: Like, I can't imagine being a a mom myself, what what that is, and you know, like how you're dealing with that.
• 45:36
  SPEAKER_01: And so that's almost like like part of your role as a coach, right?
• 45:40
  SPEAKER_01: Like those are your kids, right?
• 45:41
  SPEAKER_01: You take them in and you care for them.
• 45:43
  SPEAKER_01: And so you you're really in those shoes.
• 45:45
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and this is like I don't know if they feel this way about me, you know.
• 45:50
  SPEAKER_02: Hopefully, if you don't, I hope they do.
• 45:52
  SPEAKER_02: Um, no, but I like I feel like they're an extension of my family.
• 45:55
  SPEAKER_02: Like, and you know, I think about Todd and Diana specifically and Jules and how they all have supported me personally, not even as me head coach Jen Steele, but me Jen Steele.
• 46:06
  SPEAKER_02: Like they have bought my children gifts, they have thrown surprised baby showers, they have reached out to us during times in our life when we've needed them.
• 46:15
  SPEAKER_02: The relationship is so much deeper than softball.
• 46:18
  SPEAKER_02: And that is such a tribute to who their family is.
• 46:22
  SPEAKER_02: And I keep talking about Todd and Diana, but but Bree and Hannah and Jules are so lucky to have them as parents.
• 46:30
  SPEAKER_02: And, you know, they've reached out a lot, like I said, during this time.
• 46:33
  SPEAKER_02: And and we've we've shared a lot of memories of things that have happened on the field and how it's translating now to the journey.
• 46:39
  SPEAKER_02: But man, Hannah has the support of so many people around her, and to have the family that she she does during this time is incredible.
• 46:46
  SPEAKER_01: Incredible is really a way to describe it.
• 46:48
  SPEAKER_01: You know, she's this diagnosis comes as a surprise, right?
• 46:52
  SPEAKER_01: For a lot of people, you hear 26 years old, breast cancer.
• 46:55
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, a lot of people are, you know, you think, oh, older people get that, not, you know, but it's a 26-year-old.
• 47:00
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, I I just find it incredible how she's taken it with such grace and stayed so positive.
• 47:06
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, does that surprise you at all?
• 47:10
  SPEAKER_02: No, not at all.
• 47:12
  SPEAKER_02: And that's the part I think that is the hardest um is that Hannah, this isn't the first hardship that Hannah's had.
• 47:21
  SPEAKER_02: You know, Hannah has been someone that's dealt with a lot of things um throughout her playing career that didn't have anything to do with the softball field, but with her health journey.
• 47:30
  SPEAKER_02: And so I've seen her um handle hard.
• 47:35
  SPEAKER_02: So I'm not surprised.
• 47:36
  SPEAKER_02: And I've seen her do it in a really positive manner.
• 47:40
  SPEAKER_02: So I'm not surprised, but it it's hard to swallow.
• 47:44
  SPEAKER_02: Um because you just you're like, how, why?
• 47:48
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 47:48
  SPEAKER_02: And you like you said, you can't make sense of it.
• 47:50
  SPEAKER_02: And I know that the night when she called me, um she, you know, she's telling me and like she's kind of talking for like five minutes, and I have to put myself on mute because I feel like I can't even breathe.
• 48:01
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 48:02
  SPEAKER_02: Like I'm I'm in shock and emotional.
• 48:04
  SPEAKER_02: And so she's she's done talking, and I realize I have to take myself off mute, and I don't want to take myself off mute because I'm crying.
• 48:11
  SPEAKER_02: And I I I get on the phone and I'm like, Hannah, I'm really sorry.
• 48:15
  SPEAKER_02: I I don't want to be the person that's crying and you to console me right now.
• 48:19
  SPEAKER_02: Like, I need to be strong for you.
• 48:21
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, you know, and she the thing she said to me, she's like, honestly, I'm really happy you're crying because it makes me feel like you care, you know, and it was such like a silly joke.
• 48:30
  SPEAKER_01: And she she said that to us here on the podcast.
• 48:32
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 48:32
  SPEAKER_02: And I started laughing and I was like, okay, like, you know, of course that would be your response.
• 48:38
  SPEAKER_02: Um and so I I'm not surprised by it.
• 48:42
  SPEAKER_02: I can't make sense of it as no one can in situations like this, because it it never makes sense when it finds you, when cancer finds you.
• 48:52
  SPEAKER_02: But, you know, Hannah Garber, what I know about Hannah Garber is that Hannah Garber is gonna give it a heck of a fight.
• 48:57
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, and she has so many people, not just here um in the department and with our own program.
• 49:04
  SPEAKER_02: She has so many people in her corner, as as shown by that GoFundMe.
• 49:08
  SPEAKER_02: And you see the support that that she has right now.
• 49:10
  SPEAKER_02: So I know, I know she's gonna handle it with grace.
• 49:14
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I just wish she didn't have to.
• 49:16
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think we can all agree on that.
• 49:18
  SPEAKER_01: Well, coach, thanks so much for taking a couple of minutes to to talk about Hannah and um certainly wish it was under different circumstances, but yeah, uh, we're thrilled that that that she's a blue hen.
• 49:28
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and thank you so much for just you know honoring her legacy too and supporting her during this.
• 49:33
  SPEAKER_02: That's a that means a lot to her and her family and to us.
• 49:36
  SPEAKER_02: So thank you.
• 49:37
  SPEAKER_01: Of course.
• 49:37
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 49:38
  SPEAKER_01: That was head coach Jen Steele.
• 49:40
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we thank everybody for tuning into this episode.
• 49:42
  SPEAKER_01: And I if you take anything away from it, I think I want you all to just realize how precious time can be, right?
• 49:50
  SPEAKER_01: You never know at on the on the stop of a uh a dime, on a the snap of a finger, life can change and and something crazy can be thrown at you.
• 49:59
  SPEAKER_01: And how you handle it, uh, like Hannah with Grace um is remarkable.
• 50:05
  SPEAKER_01: As she said, go get checked, do what you need to do, stay on top of it, know your body.
• 50:10
  SPEAKER_01: If your body's telling you something, there's something going on.
• 50:15
  SPEAKER_01: For another episode of Fighting Words, appreciate all of our crew here as we get it done.
• 50:19
  SPEAKER_01: Hannah Garber, Jen Steele, uh Midler First.