Ryne Dennis|Athens Banner-Herald
WATKINSVILLE — When Farrah Newberry arrived to Oconee County's softball game last Tuesday, she was sporting black Warrior gear with a discernable pink ribbon pinned to her shirt.
The distinguishable symbol representsbreast cancer awareness.
It represents her life. The fights and struggles during her battle with the disease.
But here she is at the softball field, aplace she can escape to watch her daughter, Kate, the Warriors' No. 1 pitcher, perform in one of the hundreds of games she'll play throughout the year.
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"I find a lot of joy in watching my kids," said Farrah, who has an older daughter, Emma, and sophom*ore son, Zeke."We’ve worked so hard and it’s winding down. It’s her senior season and we’re going to miss it."
The Warriors will soon host their annual cancer awareness gameafter Monday's schedule game against Elbert County was delayed by a uniform shipping error.
For the past two years, Farrah is recognized for her battle with breast cancer as are other members of the community who tell stories of their own struggles.
It's emotional. Tears are shed. Hearts are full. Those lost are remembered.
The two teams will circle up before the game and say a prayer.
In that moment, a million thoughts will swirlthrough Kate's head.
"I love the game, because it’s not only about breast cancer, it’s about all cancer throughout the community," she said. "But it’s kind of a hard game for me."
A whirlwind of emotions
Farrah Newberry had delayed her mammogram too long, andin December of 2018, at 42 years old, she went in for a yearly exam.
Suspicious spots spelled concern for doctors and technicians.
MRIs and biopsies followed, five of them, removing tissue and sending them off to labs for tests.
"It was painful, very painful," Newberry said.
When cancerous results returned, she already knew her course of action.
Newberry witnessed her grandmother suffer throughbreast cancer for eight years. When it was thought to be in remission, it returned. Her health quickly declined and she passed.
Still young in life, and with her three kids all in high school or younger, Newberry choseto have a double mastectomy.
"With my grandmother’s history, I knew I didn’t want to go through this every six months," Newberry said. "Iwatched her suffer and fight and I just thought that I’m going to be very proactive."
In March of 2019, Newberry had the surgery. The cancer had not spread and no chemotherapy or radiation was needed. She goes in for yearly check ups andremains in remission.
"I think if you talk to any cancer patient, once you realize you have it then they move very quickly," she said. "It was like a whirlwind of decisions and emotions for all of us."
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Continuing to play
Kate was a freshman at Oconee County when Farrah had to tell their family the news.
Farrah wanted to be brave, but it was difficult.
Kate was beginning travel softball around the time of Farrah's surgery and the severity of the situation wasn't fully grasped.
"There were a lot of terms that were thrown around that I didn’t really understand," said Kate. "I just knew that it was for the best, whatever decision needed to be made. She didn’t show much emotion toward us, but I could just tell that it was really hard."
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Being in the pitching circle was when Kate could push her troubles to the side.
Farrah couldn't be at every game, but Kate felt comfort from teammates and coaches.
"I just continued to play, but I had girls on my travel ball team that had my back through everything and would continue to check up on me," she said. "They all knew that I wasn’t going to get upset in front of them. But Ithink it helped me make it through."
'You've got to stick in there'
Three years since Farrah's surgery, the Newberry's have returned to their normal routine. Monday's cancer awareness game is one of the few changes intheir daily softball grind.
Kate knows that emotions will hit shortly after the cancer awarenessceremony. She'll sob for a while,hug Farrah and prepare for the game.
"It doesn’t hit me until we have our annual game here," Kate said. "I’m playing for her and she’s a very big role model in my life.I just play for her and the strength that she showed. She kept her strength so it kind of motivates me to keep my strength."
Kate is just over half way through her senior season and she'll continue her softball career at USC-Aiken and Emma, a 2020 Oconee County alum, attends North Georgia College.
Whenever Kate is on a softball field, Farrah will be there cheering her on, even on the tough days.
"My two girls were there for me when I needed, took care of me when I needed and they mean the world to me," Farrah said. "I had to be a good example and show them that you’ve got to face anything. It’s like being out here on the ballfield. Sometimes the games are really good and sometimes they’re really bad. You’ve got to stick in there."
