It was a battle to remember. In the last game of the NJCAA DII Softball World Series, the Kirkwood Eagles from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, fought valiantly against another small college, the St John River Vikings of St. Augustine, Florida. The Eagles took the lead. But in a roller coaster final inning, the Iowa team came up short, ending their season as runners-up for the national championship title.
“It’s the furthest they’ve ever made it, so it’s hard to feel too sad,” said Michelle “Shelly” Zaugg, the mother of an Eagle’s catcher who traveled from Iowa to watch the series. “And the girls are there to lift each other up when things don’t go their way. That’s what’s important.”
Shelly knows a thing or two about hard-fought battles. Last fall, at the age of 49, she was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. But with a treatment plan in place that includes Tumor Treating Fields therapy, she is still on the sidelines of her daughter’s games, still cheering for her favorite Eagle.
“I’m enjoying today,” she said. “Anything can happen at any time, so you have to savor right now as best you can. It’s a blessing you get to see it.”
The trouble started in November, when Shelly began experiencing involuntary eye movements. Emergency room physicians at Mercy Hospital in Cedar Rapids initially posited a stroke, but further testing revealed a tumor. Without treatment, doctors said, Shelly would have four months to live. The day after receiving her diagnosis, the Zaugg family—including Shelly’s husband, Gary, and her three children—headed to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., more than three hours away, for a second opinion. Oncologists confirmed the glioblastoma.
“I remember telling my kids: ‘I raised my children and you turned out great, so no matter what happens, you will be fine’,” Shelly said. “I held on to that for about a week, but then reality set in, and I started getting very emotional. I wanted to know how much time I had left. But the Mayo doctors told me: We’re not ready to talk about that—we have lots of things to do here.”
That to-do list included chemotherapy, radiation and Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) therapy. TTFields therapy is delivered through a portable device with adhesive patches that, when applied to a patient’s scalp, deliver electromagnetic fields to the tumor. The battery-powered system works best when worn at least 75% of the time, so Shelly has gotten used to sleeping in it, driving in it and, of course, wearing it to her daughter’s softball games. (She’s strategic about where she sits, and she makes sure to bring an umbrella on sunny days since the device can’t get too hot.)
“It means the world to me that she’s there,” said Grace Zaugg, the softball player. “We start our season in February and the games can be freezing cold; it blows my mind she’s still out there. She’s one of the most hard-working, kind, giving people there is, and I’m thankful that there are things like TTFields therapy out there to help her, and that she’s willing to try it out.”
Shelly does have hard days—she’s frequently frustrated with the difficulty of retrieving certain words since getting sick, or she breaks down at the thought of missing out on major milestones, like the birth of her future grandchildren: “About once per month, I feel like I could cry.”
But, a former softball player herself, Shelly knows the importance of building a team, and hers includes an all-star lineup. For starters, her community has reached out in myriad ways. A charity that provides meals and support to those in need—a group Shelly has volunteered with for years—offered to extend their services, but Shelly turned them down.
“I want people who really need the help to get it,” she said. (In fact, her daughters will tell you, Shelly made and delivered a meal for a community member in need in the days following her own diagnosis.)
Shelly’s family and friends have rallied around her. Loved ones in the medical field—including Shelly’s oldest child, Dorothy, an emergency room nurse—have helped make decisions or translate technical jargon. And Shelly’s husband has been a source of strength. In 2024, the couple is celebrating 30 years of marriage.
“We know we have the best people on this,” Gary said, adding that Novocure’s support staff have been incredibly responsive. “I have so much confidence in the team that’s working on this, so that helps a great deal.”
Then, of course, the Kirkwood Eagles have been in Shelly’s corner since the start. On game days, the coach and athletes wear “Shelly strong” bracelets around their wrists—small purple bands that, turns out, aren’t so small after all.
“It’s just so touching,” Shelly says. “I see that, and I can’t help but smile.”
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