ORLANDO (UCFKnights.com) - Sunday is Mother's Day. For UCF men's basketball junior Chance McSpadden, this one will be just a little more special.
In August of 2017 Chance's mother Kimberly was diagnosed with breast cancer.
"It was unreal," McSpadden said of hearing it from his mom over the phone that summer day. "You hear about it, you see it on tv, but when it's your family, your mother, you realize how serious it really is and how it changes someone's life."
Like many mothers and sons, McSpadden and his mom have always had a special bond, and while at school the last three years it's stayed that way. Whether it was making sure he's doing well in school, putting him in a good mood if something went wrong, or just asking if there was anything he might need, Kimberly has always been there for Chance.
But when he got that call in his dorm room, the tables had turned. He had to be there for her. After a moment of silence due to pure shock, he immediately made his way home to Winter Haven.
"I always talked to her about everything and anything," McSpadden said of the time away from his mom. "She's just a very giving person with a good heart. I knew I had to be there for her."
As Kimberly started treatment, Chance returned to school for the fall semester and the 2017-18 basketball season. It wasn't easy.
"I put trust in my dad and my family to be there for her when I couldn't," he said. "While I was here, it was reassuring to know that I had them helping her and keeping her spirits up."
A rigorous academic schedule, strenuous practices every day, the stress of taking on the likes of West Virginia, Missouri and Alabama...and then this.
"It was hard to stay focused," McSpadden said. "I feel I'm mentally strong and did a good job, but it definitely wasn't easy."
To help, he confided in his teammate and close friend, Chad Brown.
"He talked to me about keeping my head up mostly," McSpadden said of Brown. "He always said to just let God work, and to pray that she gets through it."
And eventually she did.
In January of 2018, McSpadden received the news that his mom had beaten cancer.
"Miracles can happen to anybody," he said of hearing the good news. "If you keep a positive mindset, and never lose hope, anything can happen. Hearing that she beat it, I had a very joyful reaction. It was unreal."
Four months later, it's Mother's Day weekend, and Chance is looking forward to spending another one with his mom.
"Just realizing that she's around for another Mother's Day, it will be amazing," he said. "We'll go to church, eat some good food, just enjoy the special day."
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