September is Leukemia Awareness Month, and the color representing leukemia is orange. Boise State, which happens to wear blue and orange, will not only break out new orange uniforms but also will recognize junior Kayly Pau on Thursday night when it opens Mountain West play against New Mexico. We also have a video about Pau at the end of this story.
Confetti fluttered to the floor. Fans cheered. The Boise State players bounded around the floor at UNLV’s Cox Pavilion.
This was the quintessential championship celebration. The Broncos had gone from the sixth — and lowest — seed to win the Mountain West Conference championship, defeating host UNLV to claim the trophy and an automatic NCAA Tournament bid.
For Kayly Pau, it should have been one of the happiest moments of her life. But Pau, a 6-foot-4 junior outside hitter from Lodi, California, was watching the scene unfold from her apartment back in Boise, Idaho.
She was sidelined by leukemia, diagnosed in the summer of 2021.
“I’m not going to lie, it was pretty hard,” Pau said. “I am very competitive, and I knew my first year and a half here, I was doing well. I was on track to be something great. I was happy during the season when they won games. No matter what, I was super excited for them because they’re always my team.
“When they had won the conference championship … and I was watching it on the TV back in my apartment in Boise … it took a big toll on me. As much as everyone had said, ‘You are always part of the team. You helped us get here. You were a big part of this,’ it didn’t feel like that.
“Yes, I was there in the beginning. Yes, I helped aid toward some of the wins. But the celebration, the excitement of it matters.”
Now, however, Pau is having a celebration of her own. On Jan. 12, she learned that her cancer was in remission. She’s now back with the Broncos and working toward what she hopes is a repeat conference title.
“I would say my health is at 100 percent,” said Pau, a graduate of Tokay High School. “My mental state is 100 percent. My volleyball is probably about 80 and weightlifting about 70. But I’ve gotten to the point in my life that I am able to push harder and not have those setbacks.”
She’ll be in uniform Thursday when the Broncos (8-3) play New Mexico (9-1). So far this season, she has played in five matches and has 10 kills and two blocks.
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