Clemson's Allison Kwolek never had a mammogram. Her first one may have saved her life

CLEMSON — It was supposed to be a routine check-up. When Clemson lacrosse coach Allison Kwolek visited her primary care physician earlier this year, he suggested she get a mammogram. She'd never had one, and her doctor made the appointment for her to have the scan.

That one scan turned into further appointments and tests. Finally, in the middle of the Clemson lacrosse program's inaugural season, Kwolek was diagnosed with breast cancer. She made her diagnosis public March 14, and she had surgery March 21.

Less than two weeks after her operation, Kwolek returned to the sidelines at Historic Riggs Field to coach Clemson against Louisville on Saturday. The No. 15/22 Tigers beat the Cardinals 19-8 in their "Pink Game," which they held in support of Kwolek and other breast cancer patients and survivors.

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Fans came dressed in pink, waved bubblegum-colored pom-poms and got T-shirts featuring the slogan. "All in for Allison," with a lacrosse stick through a breast cancer awareness ribbon. The field also was painted with a pink breast cancer awareness ribbon. Dozens of supporters lined up on the concourse to sign a T-shirt for Kwolek, writing messages of support: "You're an inspiration," one read. "You've got this!" said another.

Kwolek said she didn't know the program was planning a pink game in her honor until she saw a post about it on social media. It was part of a cascade of support she's received since announcing her diagnosis.

"All the messages that I've gotten and letters I've gotten, I feel like my family and I are really well taken care of here." Kwolek said. "That speaks to the community that's at Clemson, and we're really lucky to be here."

Saturday's pink game was Kwolek's first time coaching since her surgery. She missed the Tigers' win over Presbyterian on March 22 and their loss at UNC on March 26. Assistant coach Bill Olin acted as head coach in her absence.

Her surgeon told her the typical recovery time for the operation is about two to four weeks. At the time, Kwolek figured it would be a couple of days before she'd be well enough to at least coach sitting down. Her doctor told her to take at least a week to rest. He turned out to be right, Kwolek said, and she returned to practice for the first time eight days after surgery.

"It was the first time I'd been outside since I'd come home," Kwolek said. "Getting back out with the team, that natural energy that they carry, was necessary."

Since going public with her diagnosis, Kwolek has been open about her experience. The desire to share, she said, started with her team. She wanted them to know what was going on in her life and why she was missing practices and games.

"We were scared," team captain Mallory Martel said of learning of Kwolek's diagnosis. "It was a loss of words, honestly, but that's when we all said, 'We're going to do this for her, and we're going to do it for the girl next to you.' That's when we rallied all together and really stuck together."

Once her players knew, Kwolek wanted her story to be an example for others. She had no family history of cancer. She's 42 years old; the median age of U.S. breast cancer patients is 62, according to the American Cancer Society. If she had waited even another year for that first mammogram, her surgeon told her she would've been in a "pretty dire situation."

Instead, doctors caught her cancer early. She's planning to coach Clemson's remaining three games while continuing to consult her doctors. After all, lacrosse is what she loves.

"It's what makes me happy; I love my job," she said. "I never anticipated in an inaugural season, or any season, that I'd have to step away. ... I knew I wanted to get back. I wanted to be here, and I wanted to be in this environment."

Christina Long covers the Clemson Tigers for the Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. You can follow her on Twitter @christinalong00 or email her at clong@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Clemson lacrosse coach Allison Kwolek updates breast cancer battle