RIP Kay Yow

Forgive me if I get a little maudlin here.

I can't say I covered her or her Wolfpack teams very much. I'm a Maryland boy through and through. However, I've met and talked to her youngest sister Debbie Yow on a number of occasions, both as a student and later as a journalist covering her teams.

Beyond the simple aspects of athletic competition, I gained so much respect for Kay Yow as I became a cancer survivor in my own right. Even if I rooted against her N.C. State teams when they faced Maryland's, I still respected the hell out of Kay Yow. And I have great respect for what she has meant to her team, her university, her sport and the world of coaching.

I sent an e-mail of condolence to Debbie Yow this morning shortly after finding out about Kay's loss. Words won't be much comfort for anyone who's hurting now, but the memories of her and her courage in fighting this insidious disease will be encouraging as we move on through the rest of our lives.

RIP Kay Yow. You're sorely missed. For one day, I'm sure there are a lot more Wolfpack around.

 

A sad, sad day indeed. RIP, Kay.

 

As someone who is about to lose someone very close to me to breast cancer, I got a big lump in my throat reading the title of this thread.

Brutal.

RIP

 

Aww, hell. This sucks. RIP Kay.

 

And she touched so many other lives along the way.

Coincidentally, today is the local school's "Think Pink" game. I won't be able to attend, but had already planned on renewing my donation. Here's the link, if anyone wants to join me.

RIP, Coach. You'll be missed.

 

Holy hell, this is NOT what I wanted to wake up to. Saw it as the most recent posted on thread and it still took a second for it to hit me.

RIP, Kay. You have been an inspiration to more people than you know.

 

Aw, Christ. When she stepped down I sort of wondered if she knew.

RIP. This is a huge, huge loss to the college hoops community.

 

This is hard as hell to hear and accept this morning.

I'll add my maudlin thoughts also with forever_town. One of best college friend's father passed away a week ago this morning after battling cancer for eight months. No, it doesn't have anything to do with breast cancer or sports. I knew there was no way I was going to miss attending the service because my buddy was an only son and lost his mom to the same thing before he graduated from high school. Outside of his family and his step-siblings (his mom was married before and had three older kids), we were his "family" in college: six guys in a dorm being, well, college guys.

The look on his face when another buddy of ours, his parents, and I being there gave him hope that as he said goodbye to his dad, he still had an extended family to be there for him at anytime. I never knew his dad, but over the last 14 years since college, his dad was part of our circle of friends because his dad was always part of the conversation, with stories, ideas, advice, and mannerisms.

This morning, as I try to celebrate, with everyone else, Kay's accomplishments, it doesn't make it any easier than to lose her today. She has beaten it for nearly 25+ years, and guess what, cancer may claim one or a few, it will never defeat the spirit, the support, and fight that survivors have on their side.

Kay, you lived your life and never slowed down. That's the best life lesson we can ever be taught. I learned that on Wednesday at the funeral I attended, and I learned it again as I write this. I have type II diabetes, and damn it, this gives me more energy to fight like hell and keep living.

 

Cancer can eat my ass.

 

As someone who's had more than his fair share of family members taken by it, I heartily agree. RIP Ms. Yow. Just horrible news.

 

Damn. I think all of us were hoping that by taking this season off, she would be back on the bench in the fall.

RIP to a pioneer of the game.

 

Bad way to wake up on Saturday. RIP Kay.