Wolverines, Team IMPACT Announce Signing of Phoebe Keech on Draft Day
11/6/2018 7:16:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- University of Michigan women's lacrosse head coach Hannah Nielsen and her Wolverines joined Team IMPACT to announce the signing of 7-year-old Phoebe Keech to a National Letter of Intent on Tuesday (Nov. 6) at U-M Lacrosse Stadium.
"This is a special day for our program," said Nielsen. "Team IMPACT is an amazing organization that I am excited for our program to be involved with. I have witnessed first-hand how these relationships can positively change lives both for the family and child, as well as the student-athletes, and am excited for our athletes and Phoebe to experience that. Phoebe defines what it means to be tough and resilient, and throughout any situation, maintains her positive attitude. I am confident that she will be a huge factor to this teams continued success this year, and in years to come!"
Keech, from Fenton, Michigan, was diagnosed at the age of 2 with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, a cancer that occurs in the blood and bone marrow. Within the first 15 hours of her diagnosis, her family made the decision to have her treated at C.S. Mott Children's Hospital where Phoebe underwent a spinal tap, an echocardiogram, a bone marrow aspiration, surgery to place her port in her chest for chemotherapy and two chemotherapy treatments.
Following her initial 24 hours of treatment, Phoebe went through two years and four months of chemotherapy, which in all was 797 days of chemo, 11 different chemo cocktails, 12 Intrathecal chemo treatments, multiple blood transfusions and several close calls before going into remission just before her fifth birthday. Keech continues to see her oncologist at Mott every 12 weeks for checkups and will continue to have checkups for the next two years.
Joining Pheobe at her signing day ceremony were her mother, Carrie; father, Tom; and her four sisters, Cecelia, Grace, Vivian and Josie, as well as the entire women's lacrosse team and staff. Keech will also become Team IMPACT teammates with Larry Prout (football), Brendan Randolf (men's lacrosse), Aiden Hansen (men's soccer) and Jude Stamper (men's basketball).
Keech has a huge love of her family and all animals, and she enjoys running, playing with dolls and watching "Moana."
The "Draft Day" is facilitated by Team IMPACT, a Boston-based nonprofit organization that connects children facing life-threatening or chronic illnesses with college athletic teams, forming lifelong bonds and life-changing outcomes.
Children are "drafted" onto local college athletic teams and, in effect, become official members of the team from Draft Day through to graduation. During that time, they attend practices, games and social events while forming unparalleled relationships with the student-athletes and coaching staffs.
The child joins the athletic team and the student-athletes join the child's support team, from Draft Day to graduation. Throughout the journey, the child gains strength, camaraderie and support while the student-athletes experience lessons of courage and resiliency they cannot learn in a classroom.
Since 2011, Team IMPACT has matched more than 1,300 children with more than 500 colleges and universities in 47 states, reaching over 35,000 participating student-athletes.
