On Thursday evening, Georgia Southern women's soccer hosted Louisiana in a Sun Belt Conference contest at Eagle Field. The match was the annual Kick Out Cancer match, helping raise awareness of breast cancer as a part of a month-long initiative from the school and the league in general.
The match was a little more impactful for sophomore goalkeeper Michaela Mikko, as it was the first Kick Out Cancer match since her mother, Melanie, indeed kicked cancer earlier this March. And for a family that has had to deal with breast cancer not once but twice in a relatively short period of time, that was already a win for the Eagles before Thursday's match even kicked off.
Michaela shares her family's story with us this week to help show that initiatives such as the Kick Out Cancer game work, and our student-athletes' families appreciate it any time they get a chance to spread this important message.
"It means a lot to me that Georgia Southern, as a whole, is willing to do something for breast cancer awareness," Michaela said. "It has become more well-known now, and I don't think many student-athletes are willing to talk about their stories. Because it is personal and it is hard. You never know what's going on in someone's life. But I think spreading the word, honestly, gives perspective to those who haven't gone through this. About how hard it is, and what it means to those people to give support through services like this."
Michaela and her family - father, Mike, a former collegiate soccer player at Clayton State; mother, Melanie; and younger brother, Mack, who is currently a freshman kicker on the Presbyterian College football squad - hail from Newnan, Georgia. Michaela played soccer and basketball at The Heritage School and was an all-region performer in both sports. Her brother also played multiple sports, which made life very busy for Melanie.
"She is a proud mom," Michaela said. "She stopped working when I and my brother were younger to take us to practices. We both played sports year-round. She's gone through every injury, every high and low - the yelling, the happy tears. She's always the first person I call after practice or after a game. She'll do anything for us to help us achieve what we can achieve, and she just means so much to me."
Breast cancer had already affected the Mikko family as Michaela's grandmother, Barbara, fought it for three and a half years before passing away in February of 2022 - Michaela's senior year of high school. Little did Michaela and Melanie know that it would affect the family just months later.
"In March of 2022, mom went and had a mammogram done, and nothing popped up," Michaela said. "But after continuing to do self-checks, she found something she wasn't happy with. So she went to her doctor, and after they ran some tests, they found out it was breast cancer."
The diagnosis confirmation came in August of 2022, which was Michaela's first month of being a freshman at Georgia Southern.
"On my own for the first time, it was during preseason, and I had some friends of mine moving into the dorms," Michaela said. "My phone starts ringing on Facetime. I looked at my friends, and then I answered, and she was just crying. I said, 'What's wrong, momma?' and she said, 'I have breast cancer.' But she was like, 'I don't want this to stop you from playing soccer. You continue to do what you know to do. We're going to get through this. Your dad's here, your brother's here, and we have an amazing support group.' I'm just crying, it's the preseason, and I'm so upset."
Melanie's diagnosis was borderline stage two breast cancer. She had surgery in September, right before the Eagles were going to play at Kennesaw State in a Sunday afternoon match.
"My coaches were aware of everything that was happening," Michaela said. "They were super supportive. And my teammates, I could not have asked for anything better. They let me go home on the Saturday before the Kennesaw match and surprise her after her surgery. Home is not that far away from Kennesaw, so I was able to drive over and be with the team for the match on Sunday."
"We are a FAMILY first program," Georgia Southern head women's soccer coach Chris Adams said. "So when one of our student-athletes is going through a difficult situation, we want them to be able to be with their family without feeling the guilt of missing their responsibilities with the team. After all, it's the right thing to do."
Melanie started chemotherapy in October and finished it in March of 2023; now she is cancer-free. "It was a battle for the family," Michaela said. "It was a battle for her. But it's helped me grow my relationship with the Lord, and I'm just so blessed to have her and that she is healthy now."
Michaela is thankful for all the support from her team and the University as a whole. And she also has a message for breast cancer awareness month for those out there.
"For the females, just take care of your body," Michaela said. "Doing what you need to do, and taking the extra preventative steps - because initially, the mammogram didn't work. And now we know it can be genetic. So don't put it out of your mind. Don't stress, but do take care and do the self-checks because it's important. Catching it early is better than catching it late. And stay positive!"
