I faced one of my toughest opponents not on the tennis court, but in a hospital room. Surrounded by friends and a doctor with tears streaming down my face the doctor said, “Kelly, I am sorry, but you have cancer.” Everyone in the room began to cry except me, because my thought was, “I just drew the number one seed. What am I going to do to beat this thing…what is our game plan? When do we start practice? Where do I show up?”
Showing up for chemotherapy was where I started. It wasn’t until then I cried, but they weren’t the tears you’d expect.
The nurse tied my arm down and began to pump the poison into my body, and I looked around. I was in a room full of people who were fighting to live one more day. I knew that poison was either going to kill me, or it was going to save my life. It was in that very moment that I felt like the luckiest person alive!
A lifetime of tennis taught me how to get through this challenging time in my life. It was through tennis I learned you can look raw failure in the face and start all over. I learned you can be battered and beaten, bruised and sore and still get back up. Everyone can be cheering against you, and you can still hold my head up and look them in the eye. I can be down 6 – 0, 5-0 and everyone can have counted me out…but I will know I can still win. I have learned I should be confident but not overconfident like the time I slammed a ball down in a victory strut to the net and it came down and hit me square in the head in front of a crowd of people.
My mom has also taught me many life lessons. She is the full time caregiver for my sister who has battled Moya Moya, a rare brain disease. Due to this disease my sister has suffered multiple strokes and several brain surgeries and now requires full time care. My mom does this everyday with a smile on her face and love in her heart. She has the most patience I have ever seen in a human being. I wish I had her strength, unselfish attitude and servant’s heart!
Off the court I started a women’s motorcycle club in 2001. Over the years it has grown to have chapters in Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, Houston and Southern California. We have a membership of over 100 women who ride her own motorcycles! In this group, our bikers are often known not only for their Harley’s but for their philanthropy: the Ladies n Wheels (aka LOW Riders) have donated over $800,000 to various charities and those less fortunate. This is something that makes me very proud!
Professionally I serve as the Director of Sports at Onion Creek Club, where I’ve been since August 2019. Here I manage diverse programs including tennis, fitness, and pickleball, overseeing professional development for a staff of 15 and spearheading significant revenue and participation growth.
Life will serve you what you have coming! Tennis has given me memories I will cherish and friends I cannot forget. Tennis is, has been, and will forever be a part of my life.
