Motivated by Mom
9/23/2019 6:07:00 PM | Football, Features
This Saturday is Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Tackle Cancer Day, presented by Red Robin as Lehigh football hosts Merrimack at 12:30 p.m. Cancer affects the lives of so many, including freshman Will Kalmbach. Read on to learn about his story.
By: Justin Lafleur, Lehigh Sports Communications
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Cancer patients are remarkably resilient as they fight to have the opportunity to enjoy the little things in life.
Â
Cancer puts life into perspective. On Saturday, Lehigh football hosts Merrimack in its Tackle Cancer Game. Both teams will square off on the field, but are in the same battle off it.
Â
Beat Cancer.
Â
That battle is especially close to Will Kalmbach's heart.
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"My mother Tiffanie developed a brain tumor and was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2000, a year before I was born," said the freshman defensive back.
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Will's mother had a grade three oligoastrocytoma.
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"Growing up, I knew she had weekly appointments with a doctor in San Francisco," said Will, a Piedmont, California native. "To me, she was a normal mom just like my friends' moms. She was incredibly active, playing tennis every day and pushing herself to be in the best shape possible. She was also a part of the Cancer League, a local organization that raises money to fight cancer.
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"Nothing else was different other than weekly doctors' appointments."
Â
About nine years after the initial diagnosis, the entire family received a reminder of just what Tiffanie was dealing with.
Â
"My mom suffered a stroke, which completely shut down the left side of her body. It happened in the right side of her brain, causing her to need much more care and to be hospitalized for four months," said Will. "She had surgery (one of four surgeries she would eventually have) and a big scar. That's when I processed she had a tumor. Leading up to that point, she was a normal mom to me."
Â
By the time of her stroke, Tiffanie's tumor had transformed into a grade four glioblastoma. Will was eight years old at the time, still young, but starting to grasp what was going on. It was a serious situation, but Tiffanie continued a positive, resilient mentality that rubbed off on those around her, including and especially Will.
Â
"The day she was able to come home and begin her recovery was one of the happiest days of my life," said Will. "Even though she couldn't walk on her own and challenge herself physically, she challenged herself mentally every day. She would constantly perform crossword puzzles, play brain games on Lumosity.com and in her free time, play solitaire. She was constantly working to be the best form of herself, and it allowed her to attend some of my games and practices, which I will never forget."
Â
Three years after the stroke and 12 years after her initial diagnosis, the Kalmbach family received devastating news
Â
"In July 2012, her neurologist said her brain tumor had turned terminal and she was given six months to live," said Will. "My sister and I were devastated, given we had a limited time left with one of the most important people in our lives. My mother was surprisingly un-phased because she would continue living by following one key statement: approach each day with enthusiasm, enjoy your time with your family, friends and loved ones, and never, ever give up."
Â
Tiffanie's outlook sticks with Will to this day. Being so young, Will doesn't remember her saying those specific words. More importantly, he remembers her living them.
Â
"In December of 2012, my mother passed away peacefully in our house while my sister and I were at school," Will continued. "The effect of what had just happened hadn't hit me yet and I tried to continue my life as if everything was normal."
Â
Things weren't normal.
Â
Over the coming years, Will understandably struggled and it was remembering his mother's resilience that ultimately helped get him back on track.
Â
"I felt like I was carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders," said Will. "I felt like I had to deal with everything in my world. No one else could help me because no one else understood."
Â
A negative consequence was in the classroom. Will's grades were never awful, but he knew he could do better.
Â
"My grades began to slip and next thing I knew, I had isolated myself from everyone in my life, including my family," said Will. "I got a 3.0 after freshman year of high school and all my friends had better grades. I had grown up with these people, didn't want to be worse in that sense and I knew my mom wouldn't, either."
Â
That led to Will recalling a memory.
Â
"When I was in sixth grade, my first progress report from middle school showed a C in a class and my dad just ripped into me," he said. "My mom, in a caring way, said I need to get it together. She said she would do everything she could to help me; she didn't want to see me fail.
Â
"After my 3.0 as a freshman, I thought of that moment a lot going into sophomore year of high school, and I thought about my future with college. I knew a 3.0 wouldn't get it done and she would not be proud of me."
Â
Will buckled down and focused on school and football, going on to posts GPAs in the high 3.0s or low 4.0s over the ensuing years. Meanwhile, after playing flag football (and many other sports) growing up, Will joined the high school football team freshman year and flourished.
Â
He didn't realize it at the time, but football would turn into an avenue of continually remembering and honoring his mom.
Â
"I made varsity my sophomore year, starting three games on defense and getting incredibly valuable experience, which I could use my junior and senior years," he said. "Using my mother's spirit of relentless effort to drive me to be the best I could be, I secured a spot as a two-way starter my junior year and contributed greatly towards our goal of winning our league championship. My senior year, I worked as hard as I could in the offseason knowing this would be my last year of high school football, and my mother would have wanted to see every game.
Â
"Dedication to my teammates and mother's words resulted in my coaches and teammates naming me team captain senior year," Will continued. "I channeled my mom's legacy of courage, dedication and optimism throughout the season, which helped me secure a spot in the Lehigh football class of 2023."
Â
Will used his mom's memory, and legacy, to reach a pinnacle goal… college football. It was an emotional milestone for the entire family.
Â
"My dad was really proud of me," said Will. "He seemed more excited than I was. He was tearing up he was so excited, and proud. I was just thrilled at the chance to play at the next level, further myself athletically and academically and get better every day."
Â
Now that he's at Lehigh, Kalmbach is already getting better every day, on and off the field.
Â
Speaking of the football field, Kalmbach and his teammates will take the field on Saturday looking to beat Merrimack, and cancer.
Â
"I got a tattoo on my arm in May of my mom's initials and her death date," he said. "On game days, I put tape around my wrist with her initials, TEK (Tiffanie Elaine Kalmbach, maiden name Kovacevich), right in sharpie and then LOB, which means love our brothers – referring to my teammates."
Â
Saturday, Will can look at his wrist and know that his mother is looking down, smiling at all he's accomplished.
Â
"Having all my hard work and dedication in my mother's name pay off with the ability to play Division I football at an amazing academic institution has brought me an indescribable feeling I will never forget," he said.
Â
"This Saturday on the field, I'll be thinking about her a little more than usual."
Â
By: Justin Lafleur, Lehigh Sports Communications
Â
Cancer patients are remarkably resilient as they fight to have the opportunity to enjoy the little things in life.
Â
Cancer puts life into perspective. On Saturday, Lehigh football hosts Merrimack in its Tackle Cancer Game. Both teams will square off on the field, but are in the same battle off it.
Â
Beat Cancer.
Â
That battle is especially close to Will Kalmbach's heart.
Â
"My mother Tiffanie developed a brain tumor and was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2000, a year before I was born," said the freshman defensive back.
Â
Will's mother had a grade three oligoastrocytoma.
Â
"Growing up, I knew she had weekly appointments with a doctor in San Francisco," said Will, a Piedmont, California native. "To me, she was a normal mom just like my friends' moms. She was incredibly active, playing tennis every day and pushing herself to be in the best shape possible. She was also a part of the Cancer League, a local organization that raises money to fight cancer.
 "Nothing else was different other than weekly doctors' appointments."
Â
About nine years after the initial diagnosis, the entire family received a reminder of just what Tiffanie was dealing with.
Â
"My mom suffered a stroke, which completely shut down the left side of her body. It happened in the right side of her brain, causing her to need much more care and to be hospitalized for four months," said Will. "She had surgery (one of four surgeries she would eventually have) and a big scar. That's when I processed she had a tumor. Leading up to that point, she was a normal mom to me."
Â
By the time of her stroke, Tiffanie's tumor had transformed into a grade four glioblastoma. Will was eight years old at the time, still young, but starting to grasp what was going on. It was a serious situation, but Tiffanie continued a positive, resilient mentality that rubbed off on those around her, including and especially Will.
Â
"The day she was able to come home and begin her recovery was one of the happiest days of my life," said Will. "Even though she couldn't walk on her own and challenge herself physically, she challenged herself mentally every day. She would constantly perform crossword puzzles, play brain games on Lumosity.com and in her free time, play solitaire. She was constantly working to be the best form of herself, and it allowed her to attend some of my games and practices, which I will never forget."
Â
Three years after the stroke and 12 years after her initial diagnosis, the Kalmbach family received devastating news
Â
"In July 2012, her neurologist said her brain tumor had turned terminal and she was given six months to live," said Will. "My sister and I were devastated, given we had a limited time left with one of the most important people in our lives. My mother was surprisingly un-phased because she would continue living by following one key statement: approach each day with enthusiasm, enjoy your time with your family, friends and loved ones, and never, ever give up."
Â
Tiffanie's outlook sticks with Will to this day. Being so young, Will doesn't remember her saying those specific words. More importantly, he remembers her living them.
Â
"In December of 2012, my mother passed away peacefully in our house while my sister and I were at school," Will continued. "The effect of what had just happened hadn't hit me yet and I tried to continue my life as if everything was normal."
Â
Things weren't normal.
Â
Over the coming years, Will understandably struggled and it was remembering his mother's resilience that ultimately helped get him back on track.
Â
"I felt like I was carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders," said Will. "I felt like I had to deal with everything in my world. No one else could help me because no one else understood."
Â
A negative consequence was in the classroom. Will's grades were never awful, but he knew he could do better.
Â
"My grades began to slip and next thing I knew, I had isolated myself from everyone in my life, including my family," said Will. "I got a 3.0 after freshman year of high school and all my friends had better grades. I had grown up with these people, didn't want to be worse in that sense and I knew my mom wouldn't, either."
 That led to Will recalling a memory.
Â
"When I was in sixth grade, my first progress report from middle school showed a C in a class and my dad just ripped into me," he said. "My mom, in a caring way, said I need to get it together. She said she would do everything she could to help me; she didn't want to see me fail.
Â
"After my 3.0 as a freshman, I thought of that moment a lot going into sophomore year of high school, and I thought about my future with college. I knew a 3.0 wouldn't get it done and she would not be proud of me."
Â
Will buckled down and focused on school and football, going on to posts GPAs in the high 3.0s or low 4.0s over the ensuing years. Meanwhile, after playing flag football (and many other sports) growing up, Will joined the high school football team freshman year and flourished.
Â
He didn't realize it at the time, but football would turn into an avenue of continually remembering and honoring his mom.
Â
"I made varsity my sophomore year, starting three games on defense and getting incredibly valuable experience, which I could use my junior and senior years," he said. "Using my mother's spirit of relentless effort to drive me to be the best I could be, I secured a spot as a two-way starter my junior year and contributed greatly towards our goal of winning our league championship. My senior year, I worked as hard as I could in the offseason knowing this would be my last year of high school football, and my mother would have wanted to see every game.
Â
"Dedication to my teammates and mother's words resulted in my coaches and teammates naming me team captain senior year," Will continued. "I channeled my mom's legacy of courage, dedication and optimism throughout the season, which helped me secure a spot in the Lehigh football class of 2023."
Â
Will used his mom's memory, and legacy, to reach a pinnacle goal… college football. It was an emotional milestone for the entire family.
 "My dad was really proud of me," said Will. "He seemed more excited than I was. He was tearing up he was so excited, and proud. I was just thrilled at the chance to play at the next level, further myself athletically and academically and get better every day."
Â
Now that he's at Lehigh, Kalmbach is already getting better every day, on and off the field.
Â
Speaking of the football field, Kalmbach and his teammates will take the field on Saturday looking to beat Merrimack, and cancer.
Â
"I got a tattoo on my arm in May of my mom's initials and her death date," he said. "On game days, I put tape around my wrist with her initials, TEK (Tiffanie Elaine Kalmbach, maiden name Kovacevich), right in sharpie and then LOB, which means love our brothers – referring to my teammates."
Â
Saturday, Will can look at his wrist and know that his mother is looking down, smiling at all he's accomplished.
Â
"Having all my hard work and dedication in my mother's name pay off with the ability to play Division I football at an amazing academic institution has brought me an indescribable feeling I will never forget," he said.
Â
"This Saturday on the field, I'll be thinking about her a little more than usual."
Â
Players Mentioned
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