Tumor Keeps Lacrosse Player Off Field, Doesn't Break Her Spirit

Long before Paige Allgood stepped into the dentist's office to get her wisdom teeth removed on a hot August afternoon, she had plans of a future at Temple University that included both dentistry and lacrosse.

Each was a passion for Allgood, a senior and standout athlete at West Deptford High School.

Allgood saw a dentist in Bryn Mawr, PA, because of a discomfort in her jaw. The type of pain she was experiencing was typical of someone who needed their wisdom teeth removed and since she was 18, the time felt right.

However, she never imagined the news that came next.

“They took me into the hospital that day and took (the wisdom teeth) out and found what is known as a mandibular cyst, which was a tumor under my mandible,” Allgood said.

The words she heard next are words Allgood will never forget.

“It was cancerous,” she said.

Allgood was stunned.

“How can an 18-year-old get cancer?” Allgood recalled thinking at the time. “It’s not really common, unless it's leukemia. At first, I was really confused, but then it really hit me when (the doctor) told me I would not be able to play any recreational sport for five years. I just thought about it, and it was really crazy.”

Doctors were able to remove the cancerous portion of the tumor during a December procedure, and Allgood has remained cancer-free since. A future surgery to completely remove the tumor is scheduled for May.

In the meantime, Allgood is enduring the beginning steps of what will be a five-year stretch without playing lacrosse.

“Basically, when I’m 23 is when I will be able to play lacrosse again,” Allgood said.

“When they told me I had to get the tumor removed from my jaw they weren’t even sure if I would even be able to go back to school, or if I would have to be home schooled. They basically told me that it was really serious because I was so young and it was cancerous.

"Being so active, it really hit me. Turning 18, it was like, how do you go from playing lacrosse for eight years and just stopping when all the colleges are looking at you?”

Along with her family and friends, Allgood turned to her teammates for support.

“It’s a terrible situation she had to go through, but luckily she had all 30 of us to be there for her,” said senior Jenna Grady.

Head coach Julie Catrambone was also a beacon of support for Allgood, and urged her to remain part of the program, even though she knew it would be difficult for her. Allgood agreed without hesitation and has become a team manager, while also providing the type of input that that has been invaluable for her teammates.

“Being on the sidelines I see things that the players on the field don’t always see, and they know that, so they listen to me when I tell them what I see,” said Allgood, who has been in attendance for every practice.

Allgood has also volunteered her services as a fifth- and sixth-grade coach at West Deptford, helping to mold the next generation of high school lacrosse players.

A few days ago Catrambone told Allgood that it would mean a lot to her and to the team if she wrote a letter and told the players what she was going through, and how this whole experience had affected her life.

Allgood, wanting to be clear, and aware of how quickly rumors spread through high school hallways, agreed, and constructed a letter and read it to her teammates.

Allgood’s words can still be felt.

“It was kind of like one of those speechless moments where you don’t even know how to react to it,” said Grady. “It doesn’t hit you until you are on the field, and then you go in shock because you realize she isn’t out there with you.”

Grady, a 100-goal scorer and captain, took the speech to heart and had a new appreciation for her time on the field.

“One thing that stuck out to me, and I think everyone on the team, is that something like that could happen to anyone on the team,” said Gandy. “You just have to live each day because you don’t know what will happen.”

Allgoods’s teammates made it clear to her that she had their support through everything she would have to endure this year.

Rather than sink and feel sorry for herself, Allgood made a promise to her teammates.

“Just because I can’t be on the field doesn’t mean that I won’t be here every day,” Allgood said. “I’m here between 3:30 and 5:30 p.m. every day.”

Allgood's second surgery was planned for last week, but since she wasn’t in pain–and most importantly was cancer-free–she was able to postpone the surgery till May 20.

But why postpone the surgery?

Once again her passion for lacrosse shines through.

“I knew if I had the surgery, I would be away from the team, and I didn’t want to be away,” she said.

The second surgery will not be a simple one. Doctors plan to remove the portion of the jaw bone where the tumor is living, and will replace that bone with part of one of Allgood’s ribs. The thought of it all makes Allgood cringe a little, and understandably so, but the gratefulness of being able to finally move past the tumor far outweighs any feeling of unrest.

She anticipates the day when she can return to field and continue playing the sport she loves, but until that day arrives, vows to do everything she can to remain a big part of a team that she is closer to than ever.

“The first practice was really tough,” she recalled. “I cried a lot. I've been with these girls since I was 11, so it really hit me.

“But I think it only made me stronger, because I know I have their support. They have helped me get through this.”