A season to remember
Home run hitter Heather Warren '08 triumphs after cancer throws her a curve ball.
By Dalya Qualls
Heather Warren '08 experienced a 2007 season that she won't soon forget. The Cougar softball player was named Clark's first-ever National Fastpitch Coaches Association Player of the Week, set new season marks in home runs (12), total bases (113) and slugging percentage (.934), and tied a school record for runs batted in (59). In February, Warren was awarded the 2007 NCAA Division III statistical title for RBI.
"It was certainly a season to remember," says long-time head coach Linda Wage. "As it was happening, you just knew it was something special. But breaking records and achieving this national honor is only a small part of what Heather stands for."
While Warren's softball success merits celebration, it pales in comparison to her life triumphs. The Upland, Calif., native was diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer shortly after returning to Clark last fall.
"I didn't have much time to really think about the award," she says. "I got the call from my doctor within a day or two of coming back to school. So, I went from having a really good softball season, being in great shape, to cancer."
No sooner had she arrived, Warren was on a plane back to California to determine the best treatment. After speaking with the chief of surgery at Kaiser Hospital in Fontana, Calif., she learned the only recourse was to remove her thyroid.
"To be honest, I didn't even know what the thyroid controlled," says Warren.
Not one to show vulnerability, Warren admits that she was scared about the surgery risks—most particularly, possible impairment to her vocal box, which is precariously situated next to the thyroid. One slip could cause permanent damage. "I wasn't really concerned about the other risks. I was more worried about not ever being able to talk," says the loquacious Warren jokingly.
Thankfully her vocal box survived the surgery unscathed, but the first-team NEWMAC All-Star suffered a tough road to recovery. Following surgery, Warren endured a 30-day regimented diet to prepare her body for radiation treatment, which she underwent at home. The therapy was so hazardous that she could not come into contact with anyone for a week.
"I was just so tired at that point, I slept the whole week. But it could've been worse. I was extremely lucky, because the treatment could've made me sick," says Warren.
"There was no doubt in my mind that Heather was going to be able to deal with the treatments," says Wage. "Her willpower and drive that we see so often on the field is just part of everything she does. She was determined to figure out a plan to attack this cancer and continue on with her life."
After a painstaking process, Warren, an eternal optimist, received the best Christmas present yet. Unsure if she would be healthy enough to go back to Clark, Warren got word that she could return to Worcester for the spring semester.
"I was so excited," she says. "That's all I really wanted; just to come back to Clark and be normal."
A former three-sport athlete, Warren's decision to apply to Clark four years ago came with a degree of difficulty. Choosing to leave sunny, southern California for "greener pastures," the then high school honor student sent applications to colleges all over the country. Ironically, softball was not a prerequisite.
"I was almost burned out by softball my junior and senior year," Warren explains. "It was my life. At that point, I pretty much decided that I wasn't going to play anymore. I just wanted to pick a college for the academics."
"My dad was obviously devastated," she laughs.
Warren visited Clark during her search process and came to love the school, the community and the city. After discovering Clark had a softball program, she began to have a change of heart.
Warren recalled a conversation with Wage, where she said, "I didn't know you had a softball team. Where do you play? It's snowing!" Once they got past the forecast, Warren was sold on the University.
Four years later, the shortstop has not only conquered cancer, but also the cold climate. In addition to knocking home a nationally recognized 59 RBI, she joined Clark's Century Hit Club with 119 career hits, led the conference at the plate (.471), and received NFCA and New England Intercollegiate Softball Coaches Association (NEISCA) first-team honors.
"Last season, my goal was to do the best I could, so that we could win," says Warren, who is this year's team captain. "When I ended up doing really well and that helped us win and do better than the previous year—that was the most rewarding thing. The NCAA RBI championship award was just icing on the cake."
While thyroid medication has become a daily routine for Warren, she has much for which to be thankful.
"When you look at a player like Heather perform at the level she did last year, you know that when you do it right, work hard and have confidence in yourself, good things can happen," says Wage.
Good things can happen indeed.
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