Winning Personality – Coach Kay Yow
January 25th, 2009 | 
Author: On Saturday, January 24, many people in the sports world were informed that North Carolina State University head women’s basketball coach, Kay Yow died of breast cancer after a very long battle with the disease.
By all accounts, coach Kay Yow was an inspiring figure both in the world of sports and in everyday life. No doubt dozens of articles will be published about her coaching accomplishments, among them leading the 1988 United States Women’s Olympic Basketball Team that won the gold medal in Seoul, South Korea. They also will note that she coached her teams to more than 700 wins. They may even note that, on February 16, 2007, the basketball court at the North Carolina State University campus was named Kay Yow Court at Reynolds Coliseum. I would like to make note of some additional items.
In summer of 2008, I was honored to have a couple of conversations with Yow. I was working as an editor for a women’s magazine at the time. My job was to write profiles of inspiring breast cancer survivors. Though Yow and I completed the profile, it was never published by the magazine; I left the magazine just after doing those interviews. Just the experience of having interviewed Yow and writing her profile impacted me. It’s easy to understand how she could inspire so many players to victory upon victory.
At the time that I interviewed her, we talked about how she was fighting breast cancer for the third time. By all accounts she was very ill, yet she was also very strong. It was obvious it didn’t occur to her not to fight. One just fights.
Coach Yow said, “I tell my players, ‘Don’t wallow and drown in self pity. That’s a waste of energy. But, it is okay to swish your feet a little and then get out.’”
She added that it is normal to feel some self-pity, but a grateful attitude and the right perspective are crucial to a good mindset.
Yow also told me about when she got word of her last recurrence. Yow said, “I prayed to God and said, ‘I am not asking why.’ The only thing I asked was to have a purpose. I just didn’t want to go through the battle without a purpose.”
In her desire to fulfill her purpose and help as many people as possible, Kay Yow and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) launched a non-profit organization. In December 2007, the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund was formed in partnership with The V Foundation for Cancer Research to raise money in the fight against cancer.
“Cancer is something that touches everyone’s life, and it is important to understand that we all can make a difference. Everyone can be a part of finding an answer,” said Kay at the Fund announcement.
The Greek historian, Polybius (203-120 B.C.), said, “Those who know how to win are much more numerous than those who know how to make proper use of their victories.”
Kay Yow knew how to make proper use of her victories. She even turned her breast cancer battle into a win. To learn more about the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Foundation, write to The V Foundation for Cancer Research at 106 Towerview Court,
DSJC
Posted in Breast Cancer Wellness