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University of Oklahoma Athletics
A Pledge to Cure Offers a Chance to Mend
November 12, 2014 | Volleyball
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Oklahoma played its first Pledge for a Cure match in 2009 to honor head coach | The Match |
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Oklahoma vs. Iowa StateBy John Rohde // SoonerSports.com
As each year passes, Oklahoma coach Santiago Restrepo becomes more keenly aware of what he refers to as “the healing power of volleyball.” Sadly, time has been unable to mend his own heart.
“I know everybody says that time cures everything,” Restrepo said, “but actually as time goes along, it gets a little bit harder to deal with because you see the different stages in a young person's life each year.”
The OU volleyball team annually hosts a “Pledge for a Cure” match that honors Restrepo's late son, Javier, who died from leukemia in July 2009 at age 4. When he was 18 months old, Javi was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). In August 2008, he had a relapse and received a bone marrow transplant from his brother, Diego. Javi later received a liver transplant from his uncle, but unfortunately relapsed again and passed away.
With their program firmly entrenched in cancer awareness and other charitable ventures, the Sooners this season will honor Rian Sanderson during their match against Iowa State on Wednesday (Nov. 12) at 7 p.m. inside McCasland Field House.
Rian's dream was to someday play volleyball for OU. She passed away from Embryonal Rhabdomyosarcoma (ERMS) last January at age 11. A straight-A sixth grader at Sequoyah Middle School in Edmond, Rian was a middle blocker for Oklahoma Peak Performance 12 Smack.
“It means the world to me to know that the team and school that Rian adored is taking time to salute her,” said Rian's mother, Christy Sanderson. “Rian was in love with OU from Day One. She was determined to attend OU and play volleyball, even to the point that she decided she was going to major in zoology just so she could work with animals – which was another passion – and still play volleyball for OU.”
We're playing a game we would always play, but it's for something, it's representative of something. The celebration of each point isn't just for that point, it's for something much deeper.
Madison Ward
Even though Restrepo and his players never met Rian, the Sooners coach reached out to the Sanderson family and made Rian the first cancer victim other than Javi to be honored at an OU volleyball match.
“It's hard to see another family struggle with it,” Restrepo said. “We've got to step up and honor those in pain and hopefully ease that pain. One of Rian's main goals was to be a Sooner. We're going to honor her, show how she would feel to have graduated from here, and send her off on a high note. Hopefully, this will give her family some peace of mind.”
The entire OU volleyball program offered emotional support by attending Rian's memorial service on a snowy evening at Life Church in northwest Oklahoma City last Feb. 4. “I think it's important for people to step up and be present, knowing that's what the family needs,” Restrepo said.
The service had an undeniable volleyball feel to it, which explains why so many impressionable eyes were transfixed when noticing the Sooners had come to pay their respects to Rian. “It was kind of neat that our players were recognized,” Restrepo admitted.
“It meant so much to me that they were there and it was completely unexpected,” Christy said. “To know that the team took time out of their lives, to honor an 11-year-old little girl that they did not even know, was incredible.”
After a mourning period, Christy and Restrepo finally spoke for the first time. “He is very supportive and has an incredible heart,” Christy said of the Sooners coach, who is in his 11th season. “I feel like parents that have gone through the loss of a child have a special bond.”
It meant so much to me that they were there and it was completely unexpected. To know that the team took time out of their lives, to honor an 11-year-old little girl that they did not even know, was incredible.
Christy Sanderson, Rian's mother
Christy said she was unaware Rian will become the first person other than Javi to be honored by the program. “Words cannot even begin to express how honored we feel,” Christy said. “Rian was such an incredible girl, and to know that she was able to touch so many lives in her short time here is amazing.”
Sooners sophomore outside hitter Madison Ward said attending the memorial service “took on an impactful feel for the whole team. We knew the story behind it. We saw all those tears. We saw that family. Now it's a little closer to our heart.”
Sophomore middle blocker Micaela Spann noticed an emotional Restrepo during the service. “The biggest thing about the funeral that stood out to me was seeing the reaction of Santi,” Spann said. “You could see the pain he was in and how much hurt he must have been in with losing Javi.”
Restrepo said attending Rian's service was “pretty tough because it's hard to see another family struggle with it. Good memories are the key for their family, and how great Rian was. That's what it is all about.”
Rian's love affair with volleyball started around age 7, compliments of her cousin, Stephanie Feagans. “Stephanie played in high school and Rian really looked up to her,” Christy explained. “She (Rian) started playing volleyball for the YMCA and had terrific coaches who really helped the girls develop. From the moment she stepped on the court, Rian thought of her team as family and that bond grew stronger the more she played. She was only able to play one season for OP2 (Oklahoma Peak Performance), but she embraced it and loved them.”
It's hard to see another family struggle with it. We've got to step up and honor those in pain and hopefully ease that pain. One of Rian's main goals was to be a Sooner. Hopefully, this will give her family some peace of mind.
Santiago Restrepo
As an OP2 member, Rian paid close attention to other Peak players and where they attended college. “I really think anyone that played for Peak was a favorite player of Rian's, it wasn't just limited to OU,” Christy said. “We would watch several schools play and she would always find some way to connect Peak with that school.”
Coincidentally, Rian and Christy attended last season's OU-Texas match, which served as the 2013 “Pledge for a Cure” event. Two months later, Rian was diagnosed with ERMS. On Oct. 25 of this season, the Sooners swept the previously unbeaten (15-0) and No. 2-ranked Longhorns in Austin, snapping UT's 34-match home win streak.
Rian's family, friends and teammates will attend the Iowa State match. “I think there's going to be a lot to that game, especially because those girls were at that funeral,” Ward said.
Ward and Spann insisted there will not be any added pressure to win while playing in Rian's honor.
“Definitely not,” Spann said. “She battled cancer, and a volleyball game doesn't even compare to that. We're honoring her by playing volleyball. The very concept of volleyball is you win some, you lose some. It's a matter of doing what you love and going out there and playing hard. Going out and giving your best is really all you can ask of yourself.”
Ward echoed Spann's sentiments on what the match represents.
“I think it's a beautiful thing,” said Ward, who has been selected Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week twice this season. “We're playing a game we would always play, but it's for something, it's representative of something. The celebration of each point isn't just for that point, it's for something much deeper. I think that in itself adds a lot more to those games alone. I'm honored to get to do that, to be playing for Rian. She comes from Peak family. That's a club I played for, so it's something that kind of hits home for me. It's an emotional deal, definitely.”
| About John Rohde |
 John Rohde is a respected name on the Oklahoma sports scene and will provide regular features for SoonerSports.com. Voted Oklahoma Sportswriter of the Year five times, Rohde has covered OU football and basketball, the Oklahoma City Thunder, OKC/New Orleans Hornets, Dallas Cowboys, Texas Rangers, the Final Four, Masters and PGA Tour. He spent over 26 years for The Oklahoman, serving as a columnist and beat writer. He can be heard on 107.7 The Franchise, the flagship station for OU Athletics weekdays from 5:30-9 a.m. |
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