“I’d come to the locker room early just to hang out with the girls,” Mathewson said. “People would come in and say, ‘I had a bad test’ or ‘I had a hard lift.’ I thought, we need a change of perspective.”
Mathewson began searching for a way for her lacrosse team to give back. Through her research, she stumbled upon the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation, a nonprofit that helps improve the quality of life for children battling pediatric cancers. The foundation features an “Adopt-A-Child” program that pairs children with college sports teams. After clearing it with her coaches, Mathewson decided to sign up the Vanderbilt lacrosse team.
The process involved a nearly two-year waiting game. But this past January, Mathewson received an email from the foundation about a girl named Bella, who had been undergoing cancer treatment at nearby Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. Last fall, Bella had been diagnosed with symptoms of Chiari Malformation, a condition in which parts of the brain push into areas normally occupied by the spinal cord. A mass was detected on Bella’s spine along with spotting on her brain. Bella had been undergoing chemotherapy at Vanderbilt’s children’s hospital, and Friends of Jaclyn informed Mathewson that Bella and her family could use some support.
