Last March, Centerville’s Ann Eggett received life-altering news with a breast cancer diagnosis that she is still battling today. The past two seasons, the Viewmont High softball team – which includes Eggett’s daughter Jena – has held their annual Breast Cancer game in honor of the 46-year-old mother of three.

“It’s been pretty special to be a part of these games,” said Ann Eggett. “When you hear the word ‘cancer,’ you don’t know if or when the outcome isn’t going to be what you want. We would have been lost without our family and our softball family. They have been extremely supportive.”

“It was hard to wrap my brain around the whole thing at first, but the girls on my team made me feel so loved and cared about,” Jena said. “I wouldn’t have been able to get through the season without supportive friends and coaches.”

Ann said she feels like her prognosis – where she doesn’t have clean margins yet and still has residual cancer – has put a different drive and desire into Jena on the field

“Since my mom was diagnosed, it has made me realize I play for so much more than just myself,” Jena said. “She is the most hardworking, caring, and selfless person I know, and I always put my all out there on the field for her. She’s always been there supporting me at every game and tournament even through her chemo treatments and radiation. She is always the loudest one alongside my dad on the bleachers. Her love language is gift-giving and even when she is sick from treatments, she is still up late making bows or doing something softball-related for me. My mom is the strongest person I know and she is going to beat cancer with a smile on her face.”

This year’s cancer game against Box Elder April 26 was a high-scoring affair with the Vikings going up 10-6 midway through the game before losing 21-15.

“Most importantly, these games have helped us bring awareness for these girls and a reminder to all of us to self-check,” said Ann. “You always think that it’s never going to happen to me, but it sure changes your outlook when it does. I don’t think there’s one of these players that won’t remember to self-check because of the awareness these games have brought.”

“I know I’ve had a lot of friends ask me about how my mom knew and what her symptoms were,” Jena said. “These games mean so much to my mom and my whole family.”

Ann, who also has two adult sons – 20-year-old Dillon and 22-year-old Kevin Jacob – and is married to Kevin Eggett of Centerville, is gearing up for her third round of chemotherapy to treat triple negative breast cancer – which has a recurrence rate of 60 percent and is the hardest breast cancer to fight since it is not hormone-driven. She has endured a double mastectomy and surgery, radiation and, most recently, sepsis which hospitalized her twice this spring. She’s scheduled for a final surgery at the end of the year.

She also embraced the baldness that began last May, after trying wigs and beanie caps. “I’ve just come to terms that ‘it is what it is,’” she said. “It’s OK to look sick. Some people are kind enough to ask what type of cancer I have and some just stare. Truly, I would rather people have an honest conversation with me even if they say the wrong thing. It’s not just me that’s dealing with something hard, but a lot of people are going through things and it opens up other people to share their own struggles.”

Ann said that having cancer has not only helped her face reality, but to fight her trials head-on, taking strength from others who are also battling cancer and who share their stories and inspirational messages on social media. “I’ve learned that attitude determines a lot of your outcome and we really just need to live in the moment,” she said. “We really can do anything we put our mind do, even if it’s just getting through the day or living through the week. We are stronger than we think.”

Even though Ann was initially quiet about her diagnosis early on, she has been getting more and more comfortable in opening up about her experiences and advocating for others to do self-checks monthly to detect breast cancer signs early. “We all have our own journey and you can really only understand if you’ve gone through it, but it’s so important to help others know to do this for yourself and those that love you so things can be caught early,” she said. 

Jena has had a front-row seat to her mom’s heroic fight over the past 14 months. “She is so positive despite everything she’s gone through,” Jena said. “She’s my best friend and I don’t know what I’d do without her.” λ