HAMPTON, Va. – When Karen Weatherington accepted the position as head volleyball coach at Hampton University this past April, it marked an exciting transition in her life. But it also came with some devastating news:

 

Her mother, Lula Cross, had just been diagnosed with breast cancer.

 

“It shook us all up as a family,” Weatherington said. “I was the last to find out, which is unusual. I’m usually the nosy one in the family. She called as we were getting the movers set up (to come to Hampton) when she called and told me she had breast cancer.”

 

Cross is in remission, just days after receiving her last radiation treatment. That spark of good news lifts Weatherington’s spirits as she and the Lady Pirates get set for their annual Dig Pink match, which will take place Sunday at 3 p.m. in Holland Hall against Norfolk State.

 

“My mom’s tough, she’s a champion,” Weatherington said. “That’s not just me saying that as her daughter; her doctors and oncologists all said the same thing.”

 

Cross continued to take care of Weatherington’s father throughout her treatment (they both live in Colorado Springs, Colo.), and she continued to get up early each morning for her workouts. Cross was never much of a nap person, though that changed somewhat while she was undergoing treatment.

 

But at 74, Cross – who once served in the Army – kept fighting (“valiantly” was the word Weatherington used), thanks in part to the family surrounding her.

 

“Everyone was there at some point,” Weatherington said, referring to her sister and three brothers, as well as herself. “Our family is such a team. As corny as that sounds, it’s true; our father was a coach, my brothers played sports … athletics was such a big part of our life, cancer became sort of like our next opponent.”

 

Despite getting settled in Virginia with her husband Eddie and 12-year-old daughter Zoe, Weatherington made the trip to Colorado over the weekends to be with her mother. For Weatherington, an already-personal pursuit became even deeper, and she carries that with her today.

 

“Cancer is more than just a disease,” she said. “It can change the course of families.”

 

She speaks from experience not just with her mother, but elsewhere in her family.

 

Her mother-in-law battled colon cancer.

 

Another relative, Bridget, died of breast cancer in 2010 – at just 40 years old.

 

She also recalled the story of personal friend Heather Kahl Holmes – the head volleyball coach at Wake Forest who had to step down this past summer because of her own battle with breast cancer. For Weatherington, that experience showed that the volleyball family was just as strong and supporting as her biological family had been during Cross’ ordeal.

 

“The volleyball community has been wonderful,” she said, “in embracing those who have fought the disease and those who continue to try to raise awareness and money in fighting it.”

 

Weatherington is also aware her mother’s ordeal raises her own chances of having the disease.

 

“It’s nice to give honor to those who fought, and to give resources to those who are still fighting or who will fight,” Weatherington said. “If wearing pink can make people think, make them aware, then I think that’s the least we can do.”

 

So as the Lady Pirates take the court on Sunday, they’ll do so not just in search of another conference win, nor will they do it just with the hopes of beating their local rival. They’ll play with a purpose, they’ll play for a cause – a cause that, like for so many others, is personal for Weatherington.

 

“I’m amazed at how much the athletic department here has embraced this initiative,” she said. “It’s a life lesson for my daughter and for the team.