In today’s episode of This Hits Different, Shelby Cassesse tells the story of Seneca Valley senior soccer player Ginny Fronk, who has returned to the field following a diagnosis of Stage 2a Hodgkins-Lymphoma, and has helped raised thousands of dollars for those in need.
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Soccer player’s cancer battle leads to massive fundraiser
It started in the summer as a loss of appetite, maybe some nausea. But soon, Seneca Valley senior soccer star and George Mason commit Ginny Fronk found a lump in her neck and collapsed at practice.
“I wasn't able to make it through the drills like I normally did, and we kind of attributed that to the lack of eating,” she said. “During that time we also went to go get whatever the lump on my throat was checked out.”
The lump was non-cancerous at the time. Doctors thought it was an infection, but it only got worse. She started swelling, couldn't hold food down and struggled to walk from room to room. It all came to a head mid-August when Ginny's father carried her to the car and rushed to the hospital.
Doctors told her mother Vicki Fronk Ginny was going into severe sepsis and dehydration.
“Seeing her in that emergency room, that was really scary,” Vicki said. “She was a very sick little girl and as a parent, there's not a whole lot you can do at times.”
After she stabilized, Ginny was diagnosed with a kidney condition, leading doctors to revisit that swollen lymph node. This time, it came back as Stage 2a Hodgkins-Lymphoma.
But from the start, Ginny handled her diagnoses with strength and motivation.
“She literally put her arm on my back and started rubbing my back and giving me comfort,” Vicki said. “And it was like, this isn't how it should be. I'm the mom, I should be the one giving her comfort. But she was giving me comfort. She's been very strong.”
Ginny started her first of two rounds of chemo. After the first round, Ginny finally got some good news. Just about one month after she was too weak to even walk to the car, she was cleared to play soccer again.
“I'm going to take any opportunity I have to play at this point because I really miss soccer,” Ginny said. “I really miss doing all that kind of stuff. I really love playing it.”
The goalie played the second half of Seneca Valley's game against Norwin and preserved a 1-0 halftime lead for the win.
“She just walked off the field, just beaming ear to ear because she was so excited to be back on the field,” Vicki said. “We were really pleasantly surprised when the doctor cleared her.”
Since Ginny's diagnosis, the Fronks say the community support has been overwhelming. It's not uncommon to see Ginny Strong shirts during warmups at a local game. A few weeks ago, Seneca Valley hosted a fundraiser at one of the girls soccer games.
“I wasn't exactly sure how many people were even going to show up to an event like this,” Ginny said. “I wasn't sure. I guess in my brain, it's hard to wrap around how many people you know and how many people are willing to come out and support you. And I was surprised at how many people there were.”
It was a packed house. They raised $17,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, all in the name of helping others.
“It means a lot to us. It really did,” Vicki said. “And I hope that we can help somebody in the future. That's what we would like to do.”
Ginny's prognosis is good. They'll figure out what's next after he second round of chemo.Cancer has robbed Ginny of a normal senior year and a soccer season with high expectations, but she'll only think of those in her corner and staying Ginny Strong.
“The more negative I am, I feel like the worst that I kind of feel physically, it kind of like a little reflection,” Ginny said. “So the more positive that I stay, I feel like the more optimistic about my situation and the better I feel because I'm able to kind of push through.”