At just 14 years old, former Las Vegas resident and cancer survivor, Zeffen Thurow, competed in soccer’s Schwan’s USA Cup in Blaine, Minnesota during the week of July 15, 2013. Thurow, who has a brain tumor, participated in the USA Cup as a guest player with a U14 team from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The USA Cup features 1,007 soccer teams from 17 countries.
Thurow and other cancer survivors were chosen to participate in the Cup’s opening ceremony procession and help light the event’s torch. The opening ceremony honors Kick Cancer Day, an event at Schwan’s Cup that raises money for organizations that treat breast cancer, prostate cancer, lymphoma, leukemia, and children with cancer.
Thurow fell in love with soccer at age 5 while living in Las Vegas. Due to the warm climate, he was able to perfect his skills and play soccer throughout most of the year. In 2005, the family moved to Brainerd, Minnesota and in 2008, Thurow was diagnosed with a rare pediatric brain cancer called Medulloblastoma which required nine weeks of chemotherapy. Even when his condition required him to use a walker to get around, Thurow’s passion for soccer never diminished.
Thurow has been in remission for over a year, and he is more determined than ever to continue playing the soccer. His younger sister Zetta also plays and he looks to her for inspiration saying, “Now my sister [is] better than me. And the only way I’m going to change that is by working hard.” The young cancer survivor plays every chance he gets and he coaches during the days he isn’t feeling up to taking the field. Despite Thurow’s struggles and limitations, he refuses to allow them to keep him from playing the sport he loves.
To learn more about pediatric cancer treatment in Las Vegas, contact Comprehensive Cancer Centers of Nevada, an affiliate of the Children’s Oncology Group, UCLA and The US Oncology Network.