Liberty University swimmer Grace Shaw has been diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a type of cancer that impacts the lymphatic system.
Shaw, 20, is a sophomore on the swim team at Liberty. She said that the she went to the doctor the day after her 20th birthday to discuss frequent fatigue and some abnormal blood work, and 10 days later was diagnosed with cancer.
“Nothing can quite prepare you for hearing the words, ‘You have cancer‘,” Shaw said in an Instagram post. “On March 12th, a day after my 20th birthday, I had a doctors appointment discussing frequent fatigue and abnormal blood work I’ve been experiencing. She discovered a lump on my neck and ordered a stat ultrasound and CT scan. They found many enlarged lymph nodes in my body. I then received a lymph node biopsy, a PET scan, and on March 22nd, I was officially diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.”
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At the ASUN Championships two weeks before she went to see the doctor, Shaw finished 19th in the 200 free (1:53.53), 18th in the 500 free (5:05.67), and scored a point with a best time for place 16th in the 1650 free (17:46.39).
Swimming has a long list of swimmers who have returned to a high level of competition after undergoing cancer diagnosis. Eric Shanteau was diagnosed with testicular cancer a week before the Olympic Trials in 2008, opting to push-off treatment until after the Olympic Games. Others have chosen to undergo treatment and have still returned to the elite level, including Nathan Adrian, who won a gold medal at the 2019 World Championships after undergoing treatment for testicular cancer.
Texas A&M swimmer Ethan Gogulski came back from testicular cancer to finish 2nd at the SEC Championships in 2022, and Japanese swimmer Rikako Ikee has qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympic Team after undergoing treatment for Leukemia.
A native of Colorado, Shaw had a 4.0 GPA in high school and was named a NISCA Academic All-American. She is majoring in sports management with an interest in working in operations in college or professional football.
Grace’s older sister Abbie Shaw is a senior at Liberty and was the team’s 2nd-best scorer at the ASUN Championships in February, winning a pair of gold medals.
Devastating news. Wishing her, her family and her team all the best during the challenging time. From all of us here in Fort Myers.
🙏🙏🙏
Sending you love and prayers Grace! Angels are with you.
Best wishes! You can do this
ExSwimDad
Grace – My swimmer daughter went through the same cancer diagnosis back in just before her Junior year2015.
She recovered after chemo regiment. She got back to her team and performed very well. Stay strong and be patient. The fact that you are a hard working swimmer and in good shape. That goes a long way in your recovery.
Bless you and we send you our best wishes.