Photo by Erin Nelson.
Madison Dabney, a 2020 graduate of Hoover High School, at her home in April. Dabney has been in remission from Hodgkin lymphoma for three years.
The months of March and April were the same for Madison Dabney as most of her other classmates, not just at Hoover High School, but around the state and country.
“Sitting in my house watching Netflix,” she said of the extent of her activities.
As mundane as that becomes after a period of time, Dabney is thankful for the ability to do simply that. As a survivor of Hodgkin lymphoma, normalcy is a blessing.
The COVID-19 pandemic relegated the final weeks of the school year to a virtual environment. But seniors at Hoover like Dabney had the option to conclude the semester in mid-March if they were content with their grades.
Dabney took advantage of that to get a head start on summer break.
Dabney was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma on June 28, 2016, the summer following her eighth-grade year. She noticed a lump on her neck during class one day, and a series of subsequent tests eventually led doctors to that determination.
That can be difficult news to process for anyone, much less a teenager. But a conversation with Dabney’s pediatric oncologist at Children’s of Alabama, Dr. Ana Xavier, about the significant survival rate of Hodgkin lymphoma soothed nerves and provided a plan of attack.
“Normally, when you hear about cancer, you hear everybody dying, so that freaked me out,” Dabney said. “I talked to my oncologist, and she gave the rundown, so it brought our hopes up.”
A surgical biopsy was followed by four rounds of chemotherapy through that summer and fall. During that time, many things changed for Dabney, but one thing that remained constant was her presence at a softball field.
Dabney started playing softball at the age of 5 at the strong urging of her father. She admitted that she didn’t want to play at first but quickly came to love the game.
Bob Parker was one of Dabney’s travel ball coaches through the years, including the summer she was going through her rigorous medical journey.
“It was scary going through that, scary for the girls,” Parker said. “We cried many tears for them. But through it all, Madison stuck it out. She didn’t miss much ball, believe it or not.”
Determined to make the best out of a trying situation, Dabney persevered and impressed many teammates and opposing coaches along the way. It also served as a way to “get my mind off everything,” Dabney said.
“She had some of her most memorable games while she was going through that,” Parker said. “That was an inspiration, too. They knew what she was going through.”
Dabney was declared in remission Oct. 1, 2016, and remains that way today. She goes annually for tests to ensure that status holds.
She ascended to the varsity softball team at Hoover High School as a sophomore and junior before electing not to play her senior year. However, she knows exactly what she wants to do with her future. She wants to be a pediatric oncologist and help those who find themselves in a similar situation as herself.
“After her [Xavier] helping me through everything and me going to clinic all the time and seeing those kids... I want to help the kids like me,” Dabney said.
Having the final stretch of her senior year taken away was a difficult pill to swallow, to be sure. But Dabney has faced far greater challenges.
“You can’t take things for granted,” she said. “You have to live every day because you never know what day is going to be your last. You have to be grateful for everything that’s given to you.”
