The month of September started innocently enough with the close of a holiday weekend on Labor Day and the start of fall practice for the Missouri State softball team. But for sophomore Allie Alvstad, it was the beginning of a difficult journey both emotionally and physically.
On September 1, Alvstad was admitted to the hospital and four days later found out that she had acute myeloid leukemia, a type of cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow in the body. She began chemotherapy on September 9 and underwent a second round of chemo in late October. A match was found and Alvstad received a bone marrow transplant on Friday, December 19. Her recovery reached a point of success on March 21 that allowed Alvstad to move back home to Tulsa following a more than three month stay at the Baylor Medical Center in Dallas, Texas.
Alvstad will receive the Missouri Valley Conference Most Courageous Award for 2014-15, an annual honor bestowed upon a past or present student-athlete, coach or university administrator who demonstrates unusual courage in the face of personal illness, adversity or tragedy and whose behavior reflects honor on the institution or the Conference. Read the full release
The softball team has rallied around its teammate with support of all kinds. Teammates have spoken to organizations and other athletic teams on campus about Allie, her fight and the journey through which she is going. Orange wristbands with the inscription "Clear Eyes. Full Hearts. Can't Lose! #AllieStrong" have been distributed and support from the MSU community has been tremendous.
Orange is the official awareness color for leukemia.
| Upcoming/Ongoing Awareness and Benefit Events |
| Ongoing | MSU Bookstore | #AllieStrong t-shirt for $15, proceeds benefit Allie, while supplies last |
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| Ongoing | Bigfish Screenprinting | #AllieStrong t-shirt for $10, proceeds benefit Allie, order online |
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Support for Allie can also be displayed on social media by using the hashtag #AllieStrong. A Facebook page and Twitter account have been created to provide updated information on her journey.
The Alvstad family is also asking for assistance in the form of blood donations. A patient credit account has been set up for Allie Alvstad with the Oklahoma, Texas and Arkansas Blood Institutes. Donors are asked to let them know upfront that their donation is a credit and to verify Allie's name for account purposes.
#MSUBears - #AllieStrong 