Whether it’s on the field or in the classroom, the passion embedded in LSU’s purple and gold always shines through its athletes, pushing them through challenges large and small.
In the case of LSU soccer’s redshirt freshman Rylie Kuyper, that passion decorates her spirit and faith as she shares her Stage 2 Hodgkin lymphoma battle with the world.
“There's such a sad thing about cancer, but I don't think it always has to be negative and sad,” Kuyper, a product of Madisonville, La., said. “I think that you can still live life without that consuming your life.”
The goalkeeper’s diagnosis is one that came about earlier this year, after noticing a lump in her neck back in March. At first, Kuyper thought she was just out of shape, but just to be safe, she decided to have an ultrasound and biopsy on the abnormality. During her biopsy, Kuyper’s doctors noticed a similar lump on her chest, prompting her to undergo a CT scan.
Shortly after that, she was diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkin lymphoma, and when it came time to share the information with her family, she decided to lighten the experience in the best way she could.
“It was just such a sad environment, and I recently learned a TikTok dance,” Kuyper said. “So, I just set up the phone and started doing this TikTok dance because I was like, ‘Whatever, I'm just going to kind of try to take my mind off of it.’”
Kuyper, of course, delivered the information to close friends, family and her former teammates at Texas Tech before uploading the news to TikTok. Yet, the video gained traction within just a few hours, awarding Kuyper with an unexpected platform to share her journey with the world.
She expressed that when observing online content regarding Hodgkin lymphoma, patients appeared to be struck with sadness or overjoyed on a day-to-day basis, and for Kuyper, neither of those images resonated with her. With that in mind, she dedicates her social media to cheering on her teammates and capturing both the highs and lows she faces following her diagnosis.
But what truly pushes Kuyper to carry herself with such light?
Well, she described herself as a naturally positive person driven by her faith and Christian values, which have lifted her through this difficult time.
“He is why I haven't been anxious. I haven't felt like, ‘Why me?’” Kuyper said. “I've just kind of been like, ‘Okay, this is what I'm given. Let's carry this out. There’s going to be good that comes from this, and I think that by posting online, like I've always been, if I help one person, then it's all worth it.”
As Kuyper documents her battle with cancer to help others, she credits those who have helped her through this challenging time. She has received support from her family, friends and, of course, her LSU teammates and coaching staff.
Having put forward years of hard work to play as a Northlake Christian School Wolverine and now as a Tiger, the goalkeeper has never taken a day of her career for granted and intends to take the field by storm, leaving a message for those who watch her do so.
“I want to beat cancer, and I want people to think, ‘I want to do it like her,’” Kuyper said. “Not knowing if you're going to live another day is such a scary thing, so I feel like I wake up with such a new gratitude for life, and I think that's going to relate to my game. I think I'm going to go into every practice just grateful that I'm still here to play, and I want to pour that into my teammates.”
With that in mind, Kuyper expressed that she has nothing short of hunger to be back on the field, and having recently celebrated the conclusion of her chemotherapy treatment, that hunger is demanding to be fed.
Yet, until the goalkeeper is able to ease that hunger, she’s prioritizing not only her health, but how she can use her journey to lift others. Pushing through her battle with a dedicated attitude, Kuyper serves as a testament of strength to Hodgkin lymphoma patients and athletes worldwide.
“Cancer is just such a taboo thing,” Kuyper said. “And I think that if I can make it a little bit lighter, because if someone else hears those words and they come across my page and they see that it doesn't have to be doom and gloom, then I've done my job.”