Read Time: 4 Minutes
Takeaways:
- Less than a month before being drafted to play professional softball, Paige was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer.
- Treatment and cancer rehabilitation services at Huntsman Cancer Institute helped her return to the game she loves.
Impact: Huntsman Cancer Institute delivers personalized breast cancer care tailored to each person’s unique needs and goals.
When Paige Sinicki was drafted by the Portland Cascades, it was the moment she had been working toward her whole life. She had dreamed of playing softball professionally since she started swinging a bat at age 4.
She had made it. What many people didn't realize, however, was that less than a month earlier, the 22-year-old had learned she had stage 2 breast cancer.
Out of Left Field
Paige was playing softball at an incredibly high level. The infielder had won a Big Ten championship with the University of Oregon Ducks before helping take the team to the Women's College World Series.
She was also working as a graduate assistant on the coaching staff for the University of Utah Utes while starting a master’s program in health and kinesiology.
“I felt completely fine,” Paige remembers.
But after noticing a lump in her breast, she decided to get it checked.
Testing at Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah (the U) confirmed something she had never expected, especially at her age: breast cancer.
“It just seemed very out of the blue,” Paige says. “It was really hard to process. I didn't know how it was going to affect my ability to play or not.”
“They cared about me and getting me back to feeling like myself and what I love doing, It wasn't just about the medicine. They got to know me as a person, and that made me feel really comfortable.”
The Right Place
One month after receiving her diagnosis, Paige was drafted. She then began treatment at Huntsman Cancer Institute.
She joined team meetings virtually and studied game film while undergoing eight rounds of chemotherapy.
Before starting treatment, Paige wrote down each chemotherapy date and crossed it off after completing a round.
“Eight rounds. It was overwhelming to think about,” she recalls.
So instead of thinking of them as one of eight, Paige approached each chemotherapy session as "one for one."
“It became a sort of mantra to remind me to focus on the moments in front of me, one day at a time, and simply think about where my feet were each day.”
That mindset carried her through the rest of treatment. In addition to chemotherapy, her team recommended surgery and worked closely with her to find the option that best fit her goals and active lifestyle.
“They cared about me and getting me back to feeling like myself and what I love doing,” Paige says. "It wasn't just about the medicine. They got to know me as a person, and that made me feel really comfortable.”
She underwent a single mastectomy with immediate reconstruction and the removal of four lymph nodes.
“It was a good decision for me and what I want to do in my future,” Paige says. “It turned out amazing.”
After surgery, she also underwent radiation therapy. During recovery, cancer rehabilitation services at Huntsman Cancer Institute helped her regain strength and mobility as she worked toward throwing again.
“It was a really smooth recovery because of all the guidance I had,” Paige says.
From her surgeon and nurses to her physical therapists and radiation oncologists, Paige says she felt support and compassion at every step.
Looking back, she is quick to point out the timing of her move to Utah shortly before her diagnosis.
“I feel like God placed me right next to Huntsman Cancer Institute,” she says. “I was put in the right place at the right time. Everybody talks about how great Huntsman Cancer Institute is, and I was able to experience it firsthand. I am just super grateful.”
Returning to the Field
Paige completed radiation treatment in June 2026. One month later, she was cleared to play and made her debut for the Cascades.
At first, putting on her jersey and stepping onto the field in front of cheering fans felt overwhelming.
But the perspective she had gained from facing cancer helped her return to the game with a different mindset. Instead of worrying about what came next, she focused on being present in the game.
“That was freeing,” she says. “I was able to come back and feel so happy and free because I was just so grateful for the moment in front of me.”
Today, Paige is living her dream of playing professionally while continuing her master’s program and working on the U’s coaching staff.
When she’s out on the softball field on the U’s campus, she can look up and see Huntsman Cancer Institute.
Every now and then, Paige looks toward the building where she was treated and pauses, grateful to be back doing what she loves.
