If one thing is true about Taylor Goethals, it’s that she has a fighter’s soul. Sure, she can rule a softball field. But the 15-year-old is about to play another game.
She’s ready to beat cancer for the second time.
Taylor was diagnosed four years ago with fibrosarcoma, which manifested in her hand. She had been cancer-free for almost three years. But, that all changed a couple weeks ago.
It came back — this time in the lungs. And at stage four.
“It really puts things in perspective,” Taylor’s stepfather, Jeremy Rhodes said. “How I look at Taylor, how I look at my other children. When the clock on the wall moves very fast, there’s a different perspective.”
Now, that perspective means savoring every family moment, before Taylor starts her chemotherapy treatments.
“There’s a storm headed for the house,” Rhodes said. “Taylor is a fighter. Taylor just has an instinct about it.”
ROUND ONE
Almost four years ago, Taylor’s mother, Lisa, noticed a small bump on her daughter’s right hand. It didn’t bother the Tomlin Middle School student, but, regardless, the family had a pediatrician check it out during a routine visit.
The doctor confirmed it was a tumor but not cancerous. It was sent for further testing — just to be sure. The result was the family’s worst fear.
“She didn’t want anyone to know, anyone to treat her differently,” Rhodes said.
She was shuffled back and forth between H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, in Tampa, and All Children’s Hospital, in St. Petersburg, and eventually underwent several different surgeries. After the third one, she also received radiation treatments.
“That seemed to do the trick,” Rhodes said.
Ever since then, she’s had six-month checkups that include MRI scans on her hand and CAT scans on her lungs, where her type of cancer was known to spread. And since then, she’s been clear, going on to live a normal life.
A true Southern girl, Taylor loves boating and hunting. She plays all-star softball. And she got involved with the Relay for Life, proud that she was a survivor. She even designed her own survivor shirt but never quite got around to printing it.
Until now.
ROUND TWO
Rhodes helped redesign Taylor’s shirt for her oncoming battle. Bold lettering spells out, “Fight Like A Girl.”
He originally printed out some shirts for her friends. But, once her story was out, the trend caught on at their church, First United Methodist.
“The important thing is that Taylor has support and knows that everyone is pulling for her,” Rhodes said.
Her second chapter began with painful headaches, short breaths and two trips to the emergency room. Both times, the doctors told the family it was just stress. That turned into a different story during her six-month checkup.
Lisa called her husband, who was away with the church’s Disaster Relief Team, distressed.
Not good. Not good.
The cancer had spread to her lungs. Even the doctor was in tears. He thought a nurse brought the wrong chart. Despite the headaches, Taylor was up and moving, living life with an unusual vigor only she could muster.
Now preparing for chemotherapy, Taylor’s body and mind still haven’t accepted the cancer.
Instead of being depressed about losing her hair during treatment, she cut off her long brown mane to donate to Locks of Love. She always wanted to be a blonde. So, she dyed it.
She’s hosting her softball party. She’s going deep-sea fishing.
And she’s still watching out for her five younger siblings.
“Taylor gives up so much,” Rhodes said. “She has that heart, that sacrificial heart.”
For the family, it’s a shock. But, they are coping — with love and laughter.
“Last week, it’s been nothing but joking,” Rhodes said. “Taylor is dealing with it a little bit at a time. There’s a silly way about her. It drives Mama a little bit crazy.”
RALLY FOR HOPE
The odds are steep. But, Taylor can handle it with a little help from family and friends.
Because treatment will damage her ovaries, the family is freezing some of her eggs.
“There’s hope there,” Rhodes said.
Insurance won’t cover the cost, in addition to already-mounting treatment bills. The family is selling Taylor’s T-shirts and rubber bracelets to help. It’s more about support for Taylor, though. And the community has been coming through.
“Right now, there’s a lot of prep work, knowing the storm is going to hit,” Rhodes said. “We’re a strong family; we’re united.
“We can do this,” he said. “Our chances of survival is only numbers. We’re here, and we’re backing you.”
Contact Amber Jurgensen at ajurgensen@plantcityobserver.com.
HOW TO HELP
To purchase a bracelet or T-shirt, visit the First United Methodist Church Wesley Center, 303 N. Evers St. Taylor Goethals also has a Go Fund Me campaign.
She also posts updates at on CarePages.