Similar to so many student-athletes in 2020, Natalie Rakestraw was relieved to put her canceled junior track and field season in the rearview mirror.
She looked ahead to what she hoped would be a promising 2021, both athletically and academically.
A diligent, hard-working student who maintained a 3.51 GPA in the classroom despite taking on the challenge of dyslexia, and a diversely talented athlete who plied her trade on the track, the soccer field and the basketball hardwood, Rakestraw preferred track of the three and intended to embark on a standout senior outdoor season that would capture the attention of college coaches and ultimately lead her to a scholarship.
Retracing back two years, as a freshman in 2019, Natalie was a regional meet qualifier in four events: The 100m and 200m, as well as the 4x100 and 4x200 relays. She was more than eager to make up for lost time and put on display the many improvements she'd made through all of her training during the Covid-19 disruption.
That plan came to an abrupt halt in January of 2021, however, when Natalie was hit with unthinkable news: At just 18 years of age, she was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma.
And with that everything changed.
"It's very difficult to describe how you feel when you receive a diagnosis of cancer," Rakestraw said.
"While I had witnessed my grandmother go through cancer, it was a lot different to learn that I had cancer myself," she said. "Initially, I was scared, sad and confused."
According to the American Cancer Society, Hodgkin's Lymphoma is a cancer that starts in the white blood cells called lymphocytes, which are a part of the body's immune system.
Following her understanding of the disease and the acceptance of the news, Rakestraw started to lean on her support network.
"My parents were an absolute pillar of strength on my behalf and I also had a great oncologist, Dr. Derek Thomas, who did an incredible job of explaining these complex things that were happening to me in ways that I could easily understand," she said.
With a strong mindset and a methodical approach to doing whatever she could on a daily basis in order to ultimately defeat cancer, Natalie began to embrace what was the challenge of a lifetime.
She did have some pressing concerns, though, as she engaged in her battle.
'Am I going to lose my hair and can I still run track?' Rakestraw asked herself this question.
With the global pandemic still at the forefront of public concern, at the time, and with the many personal health challenges that lay ahead, Natalie and her family made the difficult decision to withdraw from school for the remainder of the year to focus strictly on her treatment and recovery.
Her journey included chemotherapy, and this brought upon future considerations for Natalie that she never would have expected to be pondering at this stage of her life.
"Chemotherapy can affect fertility, so we decided to harvest eggs at the Cleveland Clinic. Daily shots in the stomach were not fun," Rakestraw said.
Albeit not easy, as she had a port inserted to facilitate her treatments -- plus the administration of infusions on a bi-weekly basis which brought upon sickness -- Rakestraw remained committed and strong and, like she'd done so many times before on the track. She took the process through to the finish line.
"I could not wait to get to the final treatment," she said.
Despite some deep low points along the way and a significant amount of anxiety to wade through, Natalie, with the support of her community, completed her treatments.
She learned in June of that same year that she was cancer free.
But while obviously elated about that development, Rakestraw never took the news for granted.
"The thing about cancer is that there is never a 100-percent guarantee it will not return," she said. "With Hodgkin's the chances of recurrence are much less, but this forces me to focus on making the most of every day and not leave anything to chance.
"Good things happen from bad events and everything happens for a reason. I wouldn't be who I am today without cancer."
With the rigor of cancer treatments behind her and with a newfound spirit to embrace each day, one of Natalie's primary objectives in 2022 was shifting her attention back to the sport she loved the most.
She re-enrolled in high school and was time to get back to track.
Early on, her initial goals were to regain lost strength and get her lungs operating to where they were prior to sickness.
To accomplish this, she started working with a new trainer, Dakel Patterson from Push Athletics, to help her acquire the edge she was seeking.
"Dakel's training, coaching and encouragement made a huge difference," she said. "I consistently improved my times and ended up making it to the indoor state meet."
Leading up to the state meet, Natalie enjoyed a successful 2022 indoor campaign that included 200m meet titles at the Ohio State Buckeye and Mount Union Series', and she also established a new 60m PR of 7.91 along the way.
Then Rakestraw came up big when it mattered the most.
She toed the line, on behalf of the Findlay High School Trojans, at the OATCCC Division I State Championships in the 60m prelims and the 200m timed finals and recorded marks of 7.95 and 25.75, respectively.
While she said later she didn't run as well as she would have hoped in the 60m during her state meet, Rakestraw was thrilled to be top 12 in the state for the 200m.
It's an accomplishment that has her more motivated than ever to continue to excel this coming outdoor season, she said.
"It's my goal to break a couple of my school's records and also to run in college," Rakestraw said.
Never one to shy away from adversity, excelling at the sport was her primary goal prior to her cancer diagnosis. It now remains so after a difficult ordeal like cancer is behind her.
"Running track and graduating high school will help to provide me with the closure I need from this journey and start the next stage of my life," she said.
"Going through cancer wasn't going to force me to give up the sport that I loved the most," she added. "I was determined during and after cancer to get back to doing what I love."
Rakestraw was far from alone during her period of treatment and the subsequent time of recovery. She credits family, friends and the entire Findlay High School community for providing her with strength and for helping to propel her through such difficult circumstances.
Among Natalie's biggest supporters was her mom Jan Rice Rakestraw.
"It has been a journey, but we are so proud of her hard work to get her lungs back to being healthy where she can run track again and we hope that her story can help others," Jan said.
For anyone who may be encountering similar predicaments to those faced by Natalie, she highlights her recipe to a successful recovery and offers wisdom to utilize the network of supports that are within reach.
"My family, friends, community and school were amazing supporters. The letters, the care packages and the #NatalieStrong campaign all meant the world to me!"
"To those out there who face their own challenges, find strength in yourself and from those supporting you. You don't have to do it alone," Rakestraw said.
