STERLING, Ill. — Karlie Hey, a senior at Newman Central Catholic High School in Sterling, Illinois, has been one of the best distance runners in the state for the past three years.
She was eager for her senior season until a hip injury in the spring led to Hey finding out she had cancer. She will now miss her senior season as she battles sarcoma.
"The day they told me, it just really hit me," Hey said. "It was devastating and heartbreaking to hear something that you love so much, that you do all the time, then all of a sudden you can't do it because you have this obstacle."
Hey will be on chemotherapy until October 24 before she goes through surgery to get the cancer taken out. Then, she will start chemo again until the end of April or beginning of May to ensure she doesn't relapse.
"Hopefully they caught it soon enough that it's not going to be where it's going to take more than just my school year," Hey said.