Neuqua Valley senior guard Katie O’Donnell spends most of her time on the bench.
She accepts her role because it means sitting next to her sister Grace, who graduated in May but has returned to be a team manager again.
“I hope to get more playing time, maybe earn it as the season goes on,” Katie O’Donnell said. “But, yeah, I always love having Grace on the bench, having my sister there cheering us on.”
It’s a situation neither one takes for granted.
Grace O’Donnell was born with neurofibromatosis, a rare condition that affects 1 in 3,000 births and causes tumors. Most of the tumors are benign, but in rare cases they become malignant. That’s what happened to her.
According to the O’Donnells’ father, John, Grace O’Donnell began feeling pain in the toes of her left foot around Thanksgiving last year. When the pain spread, scans revealed a tumor on her pelvis had become malignant. The tumor was attached to the sciatic nerve, which caused the pain.
Grace O’Donnell had several months of inpatient chemotherapy and then proton radiation therapy. She lost a significant amount of weight, and her hair fell out.
But she managed, after finishing her studies online, to attend her high school graduation, walking on crutches. Three days later, she had successful surgery that removed the tumor and 8 inches of her sciatic nerve, which has left her left foot numb.
Because the tumor was touching a bone, Grace O’Donnell had more chemotherapy and radiation in the summer. She finished treatment in August and had her port removed Thursday. The latest scans, which she must have every three months, were clear.
“It was awful, but I think Grace handled it so well,” Katie O’Donnell said. “She always had a smile on her face throughout the whole thing, so I think it showed the whole team that no matter the ups and downs you go through, that you can always persevere.”
Grace O’Donnell said support from her teammates helped tremendously.
“This team was amazing,” she said. “They’d send me all sorts of letters. They really helped me out a lot.”
In a way, the Wildcats are extended family to the O’Donnells, who have been friends with many of the players since elementary school. John O’Donnell coached most of them in Neuqua Valley’s feeder program.
Grace O’Donnell played her freshman year but suffered a serious knee injury as a sophomore. She began managing as a junior, and her absence last season left a hole.
“We had a big life-sized poster we put on the bench just because she did so much for us,” Neuqua Valley coach Mike Williams said. “The things nobody wants to do — the filming, the practices, the stats — she was there every day. She brought little treats for everybody.
“She’s a wonderful person on and off the court. You can’t say enough about her.”
Under normal circumstances, Grace O’Donnell would be in her freshman year of college. That has been postponed until next fall, when she plans to enroll at St. Mary’s College in South Bend, Indiana, and major in education.
Williams welcomed Grace O’Donnell back to the bench this season while she does physical therapy to strengthen her leg. She may not regain full use of her foot.
“It’s a double-edged sword because you don’t want to take away the college experience from her,” Williams said. “But at the same time, it relieves us of a lot of things because we have somebody that’s been around for a long time that knows the nuts and bolts of what we do.
“I think it will help get her through the cold winter and get her ready for next year. Having her sister on the team helps.”
Grace O’Donnell said she appreciates the opportunity, especially the chance to watch Katie.
“It was so much fun the last couple years being a part of this team, being the manager and seeing her play,” Grace O’Donnell said. “It’s good seeing her play when she does get in.”
Katie O’Donnell played about five minutes for the Wildcats (2-1) during their 60-35 victory against Plainfield South in Hinsdale South’s Brenda Whitesell Thanksgiving Tournament at Hinsdale Central on Saturday, taking one shot and getting one rebound.
Katie O’Donnell said her sister’s experience has inspired her to become a nurse.
“I wanted to help people in some way,” Katie O’Donnell said. “I was thinking before (Grace) got cancer of being a physical therapist. But always being at the hospital with her, I saw how the nurses helped her so much. They’re there for you emotionally and physically.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.