Mya's Mission

This feature originally appeared in the 2024 Spring edition of the Cal Sports Quarterly. The Cal Athletics flagship magazine features long-form sports journalism at its finest and provides in-depth coverage of the scholar-athlete experience in Berkeley. Printed copies are mailed four times a year to Bear Backers who give annually at the Bear Club level (currently $600 or more). For more information on how you can receive a printed version of the Cal Sports Quarterly at home, send an email to CalAthleticsFund@berkeley.edu or call (510) 642-2427.

 
It was Senior Prom weekend at University High School in Irvine when Mya Wang's grandmother, Patricia, came to visit. It wouldn't be long before Wang graduated and began preparing to start her lacrosse career at Cal.
 
But because of some uncanny intuition by Patricia, it took a little longer than expected for Wang's college experience to get going.
 
"My grandma told my mom that she wanted me to go to the doctor because my thyroid looked enlarged," Wang said. "She's not a medical professional. She literally just saw it. She is just very intuitive. Bless her for that."
 
Patricia's observation led to a turbulent beginning to college for Wang, who was ultimately diagnosed with thyroid cancer two weeks after her high school graduation. Two surgeries and a hefty dose of soul-searching later, Wang is now thriving as a member of the Golden Bear lacrosse team.
 
"My mom told me that my grandma wants me to go to the doctor, but don't worry about it. That's just her wanting to be extra safe," Wang said. "I didn't really even know what a thyroid is. I'm 18 years old. I'm about to go to college. I didn't know what to think."
 
Wang was a top high school player at University High School who was expected to make an immediate impact at Cal as soon as she set foot on campus. The 2021 Pacific Coast League Female Athlete of the Year said she noticed herself running out of breath a lot easier than usual but figured it was a product of the limitations of the COVID-19 lockdown.
 
Her initial visit to a doctor yielded a diagnosis of hyperthyroidism, but a biopsy was ordered just in case. When her doctor called back to deliver the results of the biopsy, Wang put him on speaker phone and her parents and sister gathered around.
 
"It's cancer."
 
"I just remember having the phone in my hand and freezing," Wang said. "I had no emotions. I was just like, 'Is this real right now? Did I just get told I have cancer?' I couldn't process it. It was just words to me. I was just standing there looking at the phone."
 
The Wangs finally engaged in a family hug. The treatment required surgery, and Wang was able to undergo the procedure two weeks later. The diagnosis was positive, and she was still on track to move to Berkeley and begin her athletic and academic career.
 
Once in Berkeley, it became apparent quickly that Wang wasn't quite ready. Some of the physical side effects of the surgery affected her conditioning, and she wasn't able to run long distances. She also hadn't allowed herself the appropriate space to emotionally process the trauma she had been through.
After about a month in Berkeley, Wang requested a meeting with then-head coach Brooke Eubanks to temporarily withdraw from the team.
 
"Brooke was so understanding. I was so grateful for that," Wang said. "They were very respectful of the space I needed. I don't think I realized how hard it would be to come back that fast. It just got to a point where I just couldn't do it. I realized I hadn't healed at all – maybe a little bit physically but mainly mentally."
 
Wang took the time to mentally and physically heal – she engaged in self-reflection and looked for people to commiserate with that had thyroid cancer, or any form of cancer. She ended up connecting with Mary Griffin, another lacrosse player at Virginia Tech who also was battling thyroid cancer. She considered taking a gap year away from school and questioned whether she would ever play lacrosse again.
 
"It was a shock. I couldn't believe such a young person would have to go through this, in such a big moment of life as well," said Eubanks, who stepped down as Cal's head coach in the summer of 2022. "The first thing that comes to mind is, 'OK, what does she need? How can we support?' We were always saying, 'Whatever you need, we are here.'"
 
Wang mostly separated herself from the team during her freshman year, still picking her spots to visit practice or attend games. When the following summer rolled around, she was still unsure if she would return to the team.
 
But she agreed to play for Team Hong Kong at the 2022 World Championships at Towson University in Maryland, and that immediately rekindled her passion for the sport.
 
"I was leaning toward not returning to lacrosse," Wang said. "The world championships reminded me how much I love the sport. I just told myself if I didn't give it a shot my sophomore year, I would regret it so much. I needed to try it."
 
Wang returned as a full member of the team in the fall of her sophomore year, ready to finally make the impact that was expected of her when she first committed to Cal. But when she returned home for a check-up and a scan the week before Thanksgiving, she was jolted again.
 
Some cancer remained.
 
"My first reaction when I got my original diagnosis was shock – no response, no emotion," Wang said. "My first emotion the second time was immediate tears. I just couldn't believe this was happening again."
 
Wang had to have another surgery, and she took a pragmatic approach. When she recovered from the initial shock of the cancer's return, she wanted to have the second procedure immediately. She was driven to play for the Bears that season and wanted to do whatever it took to be back on the field as soon as possible.
 
"Of course, it was heartbreaking and devastating," said Wang's mom, Rose. "We were expecting to hear there were no more concerns and everything was going well, and that there is nothing we have to worry about. Of course, we all cried. But after we got through that, she just wanted to take care of it. I don't know if I could keep my faith so strong. I couldn't believe she was going through this again."
 
Despite the shocking news, Wang was more emotionally equipped to navigate the latest setback. She came back up to Berkeley to attend the Big Game against Stanford then returned home to have the second surgery over the Thanksgiving break. The recovery the second time around wasn't as severe, and not only did she suit up for Cal's 2023 season opener at Lindenwood, she scored four goals in the Bears' 17-9 victory.
 
She ended up leading the team with 13 assists in 2023 while ranking fourth with 20 goals.
 
"It was amazing to see," teammate Simone Holland said. "A lot of people don't come in after not playing very much for a year and start and have the impact she had. That's a testament to who she is as a person and player."
 
Wang continues to make an impact as the team's leading scorer in 2024. She now proactively reaches out to peers battling cancer to let them know she can lend an ear.
 
"She's my hero," Rose said. "She had these obstacles in her way but she kept going forward. I'm so proud of her. I've watched her become such a wonderful young woman and such a strong person to be out there for others. I couldn't ask for anything more."