Press Release courtesy of Northwestern Athletics
Northwestern volleyball team will host a Lymphoma Awareness Night on Nov. 4 vs. Michigan State, in support of redshirt sophomore Kaitlin Tavarez who was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in August.
The program is joining forces with the HEADstrong Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization committed to providing essential services to improve lives affected by cancer, in their support of Tavarez. The Wildcat community is invited to visit the HEADstrong fundraising page.
“I am extremely grateful for the support I have received from the entire Northwestern family, especially my teammates, coaches, Haley Zimmerman, Dr. Kristen Abbott, Brian Baptiste, and Dr. Jim Phillips,” said Tavarez. “They were able to move mountains. Because of them, we were able to get a diagnosis and plan of action quicker than I ever thought possible.”
Tavarez is currently at home in California receiving treatment and taking classes and will miss the 2017 season.
“I wish that I could be in Evanston supporting my teammates, but I am doing everything that I can to recover so that I can get back to volleyball and to Northwestern,” Tavarez said. “I can’t wait to be back in action!”
Northwestern will be using the hashtag #FightForKT in support of Tavarez and are wearing the lime-green ribbon of lymphoma on their warm-ups all season.
A libero, Tavarez made her Northwestern debut in 2016. In her first career start, she tallied a career-high 17 digs against North Dakota State (Sept. 16). She was a three-time Peninsula League champion in high school at Menlo-Atherton
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