To emphasize that breast cancer can strike anyone, WNBA.com is featuring “Her Story,” a series of first-person tales from players telling the stories of loved ones who have been affected by the disease, throughout Breast Health Awareness Week. Fans who have also coped with breast cancer can post stories about themselves or those close to them on the site’s Fan Voice section. To share your experiences, please click here.

Her Story: Rashanda McCants, Minnesota Lynx

Rashanda and Brenda McCants Photo courtesy of Minnesota Lynx

My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer in January 2005. It was interesting because my sister and I were at home waiting for my mom to come back so that I could go to practice at my high school, but my sister got a call before we were to leave. It was a nurse asking to speak to my mom. My sister asked if she could leave a message since my mom wasn’t there yet. The lady, who wasn’t supposed to disclose the information, told my sister that my mom had her chemotherapy appointment scheduled for next week and asked if she could call back. So that is how my sister and I found out that my mom had cancer ... over the phone.

Not really understanding exactly what was happening, we immediately called my mom and questioned her and she had found out just that day that she had it. It kind of took us through a whirlwind of emotions and thoughts and not knowing exactly how to deal with it.

She got home later that day and basically just told us that they found a lump in her breast and that everything was going to be okay and that she has to go through this chemotherapy so they can get rid of it. She tried to assure us that she wasn’t going to die and that just because she had it, it isn’t death. But you know when you’re 16, 17 years old, you’re definitely not sure of those words. For me especially, I took it extra hard. Initially I tried to stay strong, saying things like “yeah, you’re here and everything is going to be okay.” But a few days after finding out, and going to class and trying to function, I just broke down and all of those emotions of losing your mother came through my mind. It was the scariest moment of my life.

But my mom is a very strong willed person. She has a beautiful spirit and she fought it. She was always there; throughout my time in high school, she missed maybe three or four games due to chemotherapy. She just stayed there and she said I’m going to fight it and I’m always going to be here for you. She always told us “I’m not leaving this Earth anytime soon. I’m going to fight this for y’all.” And that’s exactly what she did. Right now she is four years in remission and it is a blessing.

She said she was lucky that she caught it early enough. She caught it just in time. God is good to our family. She continues to say “I caught it just in time.” Her mom, my grandmother, died at an early age due to breast cancer. I think my mom just wanted to be extra cautious and if something like that ever happened, immediately go to the doctor and check it out. She did that and they caught it just in time so it didn’t affect her too bad.

But it was still the process of watching your mom lose her hair and going through that stage where she had to have multiple surgeries. That was the toughest part for me was to see her struggle through that and having to be strong for her even when she is weak. That was tough.

I really admired her fight. I was driven by it. She helped me get to college and take it to an extra level and inspired me just to be better. It was one of those things where you take things for granted in life; and being a teenager you really take things for granted like “Oh, I don’t want to do this today, I don’t want to do this tomorrow, I don’t feel like it.” Then your mom is hit with this devastating news and then you’re like “Gosh you can be here today and gone tomorrow so why take it for granted.”

Rashad and Brenda McCants attended a Minnesota Lynx game earlier this season. David Sherman/NBAE/Getty Images

That’s what I admire the most is her fight and it’s just inspired me to fight harder for what I wanted, which was being in the WNBA and having my dreams come true. My mom was able to share some moments with me while in Minnesota when we wore our pink uniforms.

That day was actually interesting because I flew my mom up there and she didn’t know that it was the week for breast cancer awareness. So she got a lot of attention because of the breast cancer thing and she was so excited to tell her story and get her word out and inspire other women. I was a proud person because my mom is still living and she’s here to tell her story, and here to inspire other women. To have the WNBA actually give that gift to women who are fighting, with us wearing those pink uniforms, you can see the smiles for days. I just thought that was the most amazing thing in the world. I was just proud.

When you think of breast cancer you usually don’t think of proud, you think that this is a moment to be sad. But when you think of the people that survived it, and who continue to fight and raise awareness for it, it just makes you proud and that’s exactly how I felt.

My mom is very much an inspiration to me and probably to a lot of people that have met her. Right now she is doing a lot of charity work, a lot of work with women that are struggling with breast cancer. She’s working with a network called Sisters Network and they do a lot of work with women who are struggling with cancer and those that are in remission, and I just think they do amazing work.

In terms of testing, my sister and I both stay on top of it. Even though we were both told that it’s not necessarily genetic because my mom is one of five sisters and she’s the only one so far that has been diagnosed with it. At the same time our chances of getting it are higher than it would usually be because of my mom and my grandmother having it. You definitely have to stay on top of it and it’s nothing that I mind doing because at any age you can get it. That’s what I learned from my mom. Breast cancer isn’t targeted toward older women, it’s targeted toward anyone and at any time you can get it. You just have to be prepared to learn your body and test yourself. That’s probably the biggest message out of it. You’re never too young to get it. You have to stay on top of it and don’t be ashamed to get checked up.

A year after my mom began going through her cancer scare my brother Rashad decided that he would set up the foundation once he got into the league and had the money get the foundation started. My mom was behind it and that’s something we wanted to do for her, to have her name in it and actually just have her involved so whenever we do the event, it’s her event. We want her to be there and let people know that she is the one that is surviving and she wants everyone that comes by to know about the struggle and know about the risks and all of these aspects of it. I think that’s my favorite part of the event is seeing her out there just working so hard to get people to come by here and enjoy it. The Shoot for the Cure event is a very fun event where you get to shoot one or two half court shots for a chance to win the money. It’s just a really good cause. I was able to get behind it this year because of being in the WNBA I have a name behind it now and it’s actually a fun thing for me to be there with my brother instead of behind him now.

It wasn’t until last year when I finally felt that my mother had beaten breast cancer. It took a couple years because she had to go through so many tests and so many different surgeries and every one was terrifying. Last year she stared working out in the gym and was able to a lot of things, she changed her eating habits and she started looking strong and confident and that’s when I knew that my mom was here to stay. Every day I look at her, every day I talk to her I feel the same way. She’s not going anywhere and she’s amazing. I wish everybody in the world could meet her because you would understand exactly what I mean by that. Just by seeing her face, it’s the kindest spirit you’ll ever see.