SEATTLE — No one is immune to life's cruelest diagnosis, not even a Big Ten All-Tournament athlete.
University of Washington junior goalkeeper Mia Hamant went to the hospital only a month ago with a persistent cough and trouble breathing. She left with her life turned upside down.
"The conclusion is, it could be an infection, an autoimmune disease, or cancer, and when I heard that last option, I just lost it," Hamant recalled. "I was just like, 'Oh my gosh, there's no way, I'm a healthy 20-year old girl.' When you're in your 20s, you just feel invincible, like when you're this age, you feel like nothing can touch you, and hearing those words, my jaw was on the floor."
Hamant was diagnosed with stage 4 SMARCB1-deficient kidney cancer, a rare cancer caused by the loss of a specific gene. She's only the 14th documented case of her kind.
"He just said it's bad luck. There's nothing more than bad luck," she said. "And to hear a doctor say that to you, and a renowned doctor, it's just like...damn. Like, what could I do? Why me? It's the 'bad luck' word he said that I was just like, 'wow, wow.'"
But with some good care, Hamant is undergoing treatment and already completed one round of chemotherapy. It's been a whirlwind month for the 20-year-old, who was just on the pitch preparing for spring ball with the Huskies.
"It was crazy to go from playing at such a high level to not being able to play at all, like that's been the biggest thing. The biggest shock to me is not being able to play the sport I love with the team I love," Hamant said. "It just really puts into perspective all the good times that we had and how lucky I am to miss going to such an amazing practice with such an amazing team."
Returning to that team may seem like a distant dream at the moment, but her medical team said it's not a fantasy. In fact, the hope of using her final two years of eligibility is keeping Hamant motivated throughout this arduous process.
"My doctor said a while ago as long as my body's feeling good, I can get out on the pitch. I can just kick some balls maybe or just do what I love or just workout even a little bit," she said. "I told my friends that, my teammates that, and they were pumped. They were like, whenever you want to come out, we'll be here for you, we'll work out with you ... and that also just means so much."
Hamant's biggest moment of the 2024 season was when she made three penalty saves in a shootout victory over No. 17 Iowa at the Big Ten Tournament en route to an NCAA tournament bid. Head coach Nicole Van Dyke said her contributions go way beyond the pitch.
"It's the on field, it's the off the field, it's in the locker room, it's in the team room, it's the music and the playlists, Mia is a part of all of the small things that we do," Van Dyke said.
The support from the team and her community is evident.
At the time of publication, a GoFundMe set up by one of her teammates and their parents had already surpassed $112,000 after nine days. The original goal was for $50,000. Hamant and her family will have to travel for treatment due to the cancer's rarity.
"However the strength that Mia has shown, we're right there beside her," Van Dyke said. "It's her team, her coaches, UW, the entire community, as you can see by the GoFundMe. We're going to be just as strong as Mia, and hopefully even stronger to give her more strength."
Hamant posts updates on her cancer journey on a special Instagram page, @miakickscancer.