Cancer affects many families around the world. But when it hits close to home, the effects are devastating.
Jennifer Martin, a former Coppin State basketball player who graduated in 2009, passed away on her birthday, March 11, due to complications of Rhabdomyosarcoma cancer at the age of 26.
Rhabdomyosarcoma, according to the MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia, is a cancerous (malignant) tumor of the muscles that are attached to the bones. The cause of this disease is unknown and it’s a rare tumor with only several hundred new cases reported per year throughout the country.
Martin, an interdisciplinary studies major while at Coppin State, is known as one of the toughest basketball players CSU has ever had. Her spirit on the inside and outside was felt by many of her teammates, fellow athletes, coaches and students.
“I just remember Jennifer and her beautiful smile and how that was such a contrast to how tough she was on the court,” said Coppin State PA announcer Gary Williams. “She was such a beautiful looking lady that it was such a contrast.”
Former teammate Whitney Cunningham remembered, “Me and Jen have been thru so much together, and I am so grateful for the impact she has had on my life. I’ve learned so much. We had so much fun together. Becoming Iota sweethearts together just strengthened our bond.”
She had been fighting cancer, according to Coppin associate head coach Billie Wilson, for about two years. Coppin State head coach Derek Brown said, “To have somebody leave us at that time in her life is just hard to take. To be that young and she’s basically just finding her way through and just starting to live life. To have her life end suddenly like that is just tragic.”
Coppin State women’s basketball has always adopted the mottos: TEAM TOGETHER… and HOOP PHI HOOP. They aren’t just mottos to this tightly knit group of young ladies. These ladies love the game and each other, just like a family.
Coppin State athletic director Derrick Ramsey said about Jennifer, “First of all, it was a privilege working with Jennifer. She was an incredible spirit, an incredible soul. I don’t think I’ve ever saw her when she wasn’t smiling. That, I will miss tremendously.”
Brown said, “She was well liked by everybody. She had a smile on her face just about all the time. She enjoyed being around people. The talks that I had with her were enjoyable to me because I knew that she was going to adhere to what I was saying and I just wanted to see her blossom as a young lady and I think she was just starting to do that.”
Whitney Cunningham echoed a lot of people that have had the privilege to get to know Jennifer, saying, “I can’t express how fortunate I am to have had her in my life for the time that I did. She’s certainly been a blessing to us all, and I know she’s smiling down on us.”
