Nov. 2, 2005
Normal, Ill. -
Illinois State's game five with Evansville had a lot on the line...a nine-match Redbird conference winning streak...control of a bye for the 2005 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Volleyball Tournament...and the confidence of a team rocked earlier in the week by the loss of Kari Staehlin, the team leader in kills and hitting percentage. The `Birds needed a hero--someone courageous enough to beat the odds. Fortunately, Laura Doornbos was there.
The senior outside hitter came out swinging ... powering balls over, around and through an Evansville block which had frustrated the Redbirds all night. Her first four kills of the game accounted for all the points in a 4-1 ISU lead. Doornbos got a swing for point No. 7 as well, but she wasn't finished ... kills for points No. 13, 14 and 15 gave the Redbirds a 15-7 game win, a match win, and the confidence and momentum to score a victory the following night over Southern Illinois. The Redbird Arena crowd saluted her with a standing ovation.
Two days after that victory, Doornbos was announced as the 2005 Missouri Valley Conference Most Courageous Award winner--not just for the courageous way she plays and leads her team, but because she continues to fight a battle more important than any point, game or match. Doornbos' biggest foe is cancer. And she is winning.
The Valley Most Courageous Award is presented to a student-athlete, coach or administrator who demonstrates unusual courage in the face of personal illness, adversity or tragedy, and whose behavior reflects honorably on their institution or the conference. Doornbos is the first person from Illinois State to receive the award.
The courage she showed against Evansville was extraordinary for any athlete. But it almost never got the chance to happen. Four years earlier, shortly after she had signed a National Letter of Intent to play volleyball at Illinois State, 17-year-old Laura Doornbos was diagnosed with thyroid cancer.
Surgery ... a 24-hour radioactive iodine treatment ... and, in the aftermath, a lifetime of ever-changing medication and treatment. If going to college and playing volleyball at the highest level were a question mark for others in 2001, they never were for Doornbos.
After the iodine treatment, she worked her way back into club volleyball and began preparing for her Illinois State career--a career which has included more than 1,300 kills and made her a First Team All-Missouri Valley Conference selection in 2004, a second-team choice in 2003 and a member of the Valley All-Freshman team in 2002.
Doornbos, a public relations major, is grateful for the support she receives and the life she leads.
"My coaches, family and even I have had to keep a closer eye on my strength, energy levels, and weight," said Doornbos. "All of those factors can indicate if my medicine is working properly."
Her coach, Sharon Dingman, was one of a handful of people outside the Doornbos family who knew about Laura's diagnosis and treatment from the start. Dingman admires the way her star hitter has handled the hardships.
"Those of us closest to Laura have seen the private moments of frustration and the down times," said Dingman. "But the part of this award that I think speaks most clearly about Laura is the part that says `reflects honorably.' She has frustrations, but, when it's time to show up, nobody else will ever know that there was bad news or a setback that day. I think those words `reflects honorably' encapsulate everything Laura is."
Doornbos lives the demanding life of a college student-athlete by lifting the spirits of everyone around her with a radiant smile and an energy level that could power Redbird Arena. Winning the battle for herself, she now fights the fight for others. She has become an active advocate in the battle against cancer by becoming a leader in the Relay For Life on the Illinois State campus, an activity which is part of the Walk for the Cure.
"Even though I was diagnosed with cancer, I feel fortunate because I am often given the opportunity to be able to tell my story," said Doornbos. "Because of my faith, I believe that things truly do happen for a reason. Maybe some day my story will inspire someone who is going through a similar experience to reach deep inside and overcome whatever adversity they face."
So, no matter what the job, if there's a lot on the line, Laura Doornbos will be the first to step up. She's more than a sports hero ... she's a hero for life.
Missouri Valley Conference Most Courageous Award Winners
2001 -- Mandy Kappel, Drake (Women's Basketball)
Martha Chaput, Drake (Women's Basketball)
2002 -- Kwame James, Evansville (Men's Basketball)
Bruce Mason, Missouri Valley Conference (Women's Basketball)
2003 -- Megan Fong, Bradley (Women's Tennis)
2005 - Laura Doornbos, Illinois State (Volleyball)
