Presley Clardy Doesn’t Let Cancer Keep Her Down

Presley Clardy's holiday break last year was filled with nervous anticipation once she found a lump in her neck on Christmas Eve.

Clardy went to the doctor the day after Christmas for a regularly scheduled wellness visit. Her doctor ordered an X-ray, ultrasound, and bloodwork to find out more information. Everything was initially pointing to an infectious lymph node. But by February, when the lump didn't shrink in size, Clardy was sent for a biopsy.

The 2028 right-handed pitching recruit from Benton, Arkansas was diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkin lymphoma on Feb. 16. The cancer was in her neck and sternum.

“I was very shocked,” Clardy said. “Nothing ever really happens to me like that.”

Clardy, 16, went from preparing for her sophomore season of softball at Glen Rose High to doing virtual school and having chemotherapy treatments every two weeks. She went from training hard every day to not being able to do strenuous exercise.

“She was healthy. She showed no signs of sickness. She was pitching up until everything,” said her mother, Suzanne. “She had no night sweats, no fever, no sudden weight loss. She appeared perfectly healthy.”

Although Clardy can't play in competitive sports environments while battling her cancer, she remains determined to keep softball in her life. She tries to do drills at home to keep her mechanics sharp despite having a port in her chest for chemo treatments.

“I try to do as much as I can. It makes me feel normal doing that stuff again,” said Clardy, who plays travel ball for Prime Softball Academy. “The chemo knocks me down for about four days and then I get right back up."

Clardy started playing softball at age 4, and immediately fell in love with the sport. She saw other girls pitching and decided to start taking lessons about five years later. The close relationships she's formed through softball have provided comfort while she's fighting cancer.

“My teammates have been awesome,” she said. “They have been my biggest supporters. They are always wearing purple for games and giving me gifts and checking in on me. They always try to find a way to keep me included.”

Former Texas A&M pitcher and current ESPN analyst Amanda Scarborough saw a social media post about Clardy a few weeks ago and commented on it. She sent Clardy a few gifts in the mail. ESPN broadcaster Holly Rowe, a cancer survivor, recently surprised Clardy by providing her with a trip to the upcoming Women's College World Series through Rowe's Joy+Us Foundation.

“The softball community has been amazing,” Clardy's mom said. “Not just with her high school team, but other communities. Even when we play away games, they're all honoring Presley.”

Clardy is on schedule to finish her treatment in mid-June if everything remains positive with her test results.

“Her scans show no active cancer cells, so the chemo is working,” her mom said. “The doctors are very pleased with her and how her body is reacting to the chemo.”

Clardy's family has been inspired by her resiliency and positive attitude while enduring constant tests, treatments, and doctor visits.

“Presley's been just so strong through it all. She's made us stronger just watching her go through this process,” her mother said. “Sixteen-year-olds, or anybody really, shouldn't have to go through cancer, but I think her strength has just shined through.”

Clardy is hoping to ring the bell in June, signaling she is cancer-free. She knows exactly what she wants to do once she leaves the hospital.

“Get right back to softball,” she said.

As for the message she would give to others enduring similar adversity, she says: “I just want to say hold on to faith and take it one day at a time.”