The football field was covered with girls wearing LAFC red — eagerly following the lead of their respective coaches and working hard on skills and strategy. On one side of the field was the GU14 White team, 16 girls who were diligently working on the skills their new coach Esteban Chavez had been teaching them. One of those girls was Jessie Mastan. A star on her middle school track team, and a gifted defender on the soccer field, Jessie had been transitioning onto an offensive position where her lightning fast speed and her nose for the goal matched brilliantly.

But during a scrimmage on that warm spring evening, Jessie toppled in an otherwise fair tackle, but could not get up from the grass. Fighting off tears of pain, but wanting to get back up and into the game, Jessie lay on the field until Teddy arrived to pick her up. Thinking it was the recurrence of a hip problem that had troubled her earlier in the season, Jessie and her family decided it was time to revisit the doctor.

Five days later, having had an x-ray and MRI of her hip, Jessie’s family learned that her struggle was greater than anyone would imagine. Jessie was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma, an aggressive form of bone cancer that had rapidly formed a tumor on her pelvis and had moved even more aggressively to her lungs. In the capable hands of the brilliant doctors and researchers at the City of Hope, Jessie began an aggressive attack of the tumor through chemotherapy. She finished out her school year at home, underwent chemotherapy every two weeks, and still managed to find time (when she felt up to it) to sit next to Coach Esteban at games to learn the team’s new formation and strategy.

With the support of their community of friends, and a solid spiritual foundation, the Mastans’ aggressive attack on the tumor was miraculously successful. After seven rounds of chemotherapy, the disease in Jessie’s lungs disappeared and the disease in the left pelvic bone was almost completely eliminated. It was cause for celebration! But Jessie’s battle did not end there since without an even more aggressive treatment, the cancer was sure to return.

So on October 1, 2008, Jessie had surgery to remove part of her pelvic bone. For several weeks she will wear a brace to keep her leg stable. She is now progressing in physical therapy where even walking is a difficult task. But Jessie’s spirits remain high, and her competitive nature is kicking in again. She is determined to beat this disease.

Through all of these battles, Jessie’s teammates have rallied with her. They are reminded every week when the referee calls Jessie’s name on the match report of Jessie’s strength and her continuing battle. They play every game in her honor and proudly wear her initials on their uniform sleeves as a reminder to them and to all of us of the real struggles in life.

In the ultimate show of support and solidarity, the entire team donned red beanies for their team picture so that Jessie would feel more comfortable in hers. While Jessie will not return to the soccer field this season, she will always be an important part of the GU14 White team – and an even bigger part of LAFC.

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