Canzano: Mia is always with them
A soccer team on a mission.
Mia Hamant died last week. I never met her. I knew her story and had followed along. But I find myself thinking a lot about what she taught us this week.
Dead at 21, and you think, “car accident.”
You never think, “Stage 4 SMARCB1-deficient kidney cancer.” But that’s what doctors say killed the former University of Washington goalkeeper.
The final months of Mia’s life included countless rounds of chemotherapy, radiation treatments, and immunotherapy. She had pain that radiated in her legs. She got sick to her stomach and suffered debilitating fatigue.
Her college soccer career was cut short, and her professional dreams were dashed. And yet, nobody was surprised when Mia dragged herself to the stadium to see her UW teammates play games this season.
“I want to be there for my team,” she said. “I made the games — every game. Because my team was there for me.”
Hamant grew up in the Bay Area in California. She was an all-league soccer player and played third base on the Redwood High softball team. She earned a scholarship to UW, then worked to get into the starting lineup, where she would have been this weekend when her team played for the Big Ten Conference championship.
Mia died on Thursday.
Her teammates played for the league title on Sunday.
I doubt Michigan State knew what it was up against. UW wasn’t just playing for a soccer championship. It was playing for Mia. The players draped her jersey over the bench before the game, then wore orange ribbons in their hair, and put bands with “MIA” written on them around their wrists.
It should come as no surprise that the match ended up in a 1-1 tie.
A shootout.
A goalkeeper’s time to shine.
I have three daughters. When I first heard about Mia’s story, I tried to wrap my brain around the heartbreak of having one of them diagnosed with a rare, incurable form of cancer. A good life cut short. The injustice of it is crippling.
I saw a video interview with Mia this week in which she talked about the doctor who informed her of her diagnosis.
“I felt so bad for this guy,” she said. “He has a daughter my age.”
She felt for him.
That says so much about her.
Kidney cancer is a beast. The form that Mia had is particularly insidious. Oncologists will tell you that SMARCB1-deficient cancer typically impacts the kidneys of older adults. A young, vibrant, healthy athlete is built to withstand a lot, physically. You’d think Mia had an advantage, but it happens that people in their late teens and early 20s don’t respond well to the same therapies that work with older adults.
Mia’s type of cancer was rare.
Hers was only the 14th documented case.
Scott Tykodi, a specialist who treats cancer patients in Seattle, called it: “An awful, an awful scenario.”
I don’t know if you follow women’s college soccer, but this Washington team played like it was on a mission this season. Coaches will tell you the workouts were grueling and the locker room was tight. The Huskies were unselfish and fierce on the field. They seized opportunities, maybe because they were keenly aware of how fleeting they are.
When she died last week, Washington head coach Nicole Van Dyke told the world, “Mia was the heart of our program.”
Mia got sick on a team trip to Spain in the offseason. She vomited and became so tired she couldn’t get out of bed. She was diagnosed with cancer last spring and missed her entire senior season.
I admired that Mia didn’t wait for her hair to fall out. She draped a gown over herself in the kitchen and had her boyfriend and parents help her shave her head.
“Now,” she declared, “I’m a real cancer patient.”
Mia had a lot to teach the rest of us. She valued relationships. She leaned into what she could control. She didn’t sit around waiting for a sad ending; she chased the joy she could still find by showing up at UW sporting events.
There’s beauty in the small moments, she reminded us.
“Just treat me like normal,” she told her college friends. “I want the details. I want the drama.”
By now, you may know that Washington’s women’s soccer team won that shootout against Michigan State on Sunday. The Husky players pointed to their wristbands with every development, reminding each other they were playing for something much bigger than themselves.
The UW players celebrated on the field after the title game. There were tears, smiles, and lots of hugs. Finally, the goalkeeper playing in Mia’s place on Sunday raised the Big Ten trophy over her head and shouted, “This is for Mia!!”
Not done yet — they reminded each other.
The Huskies play Montana on Friday in the NCAA Tournament.
Be sure, Mia is always with them.
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John.
You were born to enlighten all of us in how precious Life is , through your heartwarming stories of “never giving up “ and to Fight on ; never stop telling your wonderful stories, as they provide inspiration ( and sorrow 🥲!) to all of us in these sad times of reading about gifted people who refuse to give up. Thank you. She was truly “a Gift” to all of her friends .
John, your article about Mia i can definitely relate to her story and how she embraced that journey she was on. In 2010 i was in so much pain that I went with my wife to the ER, after some CT scans they told me I needed to check into the hospital that night! I asked why and they told me that i had 3 tumors in my abdominal area, I told them that it would only happen if I could find a safe place for her. My wife was in the final stages of Alzheimers. It took until mo day afternoon to give me a definitive diagnosis. When that Dr. came his head was done and walking slow, 🚶♂️ I said you don't have good news for me do you and said I'm sorry and I said you have nothing to be sorry about. I asked him what of cancer do I have he Non Hodgins large B cell Lymphoma Csncer, which is very aggressive. I said what are my chances he said 50/50 and responded by saying let's go to work. I had 2 rounds of Chemo in the hospital to be she i wasn't going to have any adverse reactions to the Chemo. I was on Chemo for 6 months every 3 weeks. It would take six hours to get all that poison in me. I too had a friend of mine shave my head after they saved the good hair for Wigs for Kids. January 3rd i was informed that PET SCAN came back clean and cancer ♋️ free. I was truly blessed to have great Medical Dr's addressing my treatment. Prayers are going out for Mia and family. Sa well as her teammates. John, I to have 3 daughters and admire the way you follow them ❤️ in their sporting activities. God bless you my friend and thank you so much for your article's.