Getting Back on the Diamond After Breast Cancer
Sep 08, 2026
Read Time: 4 Minutes
Takeaways: Less than a month before being drafted to play professional softball, Paige was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer.Treatment and cancer rehabilitation services at Huntsman Cancer Institute helped her return to the game she loves.Impact: Huntsman Cancer Institute delivers personalized breast cancer care tailored to each person’s unique needs and goals.
When Paige Sinicki was drafted by the Portland Cascades, it was the moment she had been working toward her whole life. She had dreamed of playing softball professionally since she started swinging a bat at age 4. She had made it. What many people didn't realize, however, was that less than a month earlier, the 22-year-old had learned she had stage 2 breast cancer.
Out of Left Field
Paige was playing softball at an incredibly high level. The infielder had won a Big Ten championship with the University of Oregon Ducks before helping take the team to the Women's College World Series.
She was also working as a graduate assistant on the coaching staff for the University of Utah Utes while starting a master’s program in health and kinesiology.“I felt completely fine,” Paige remembers.But after noticing a lump in her breast, she decided to get it checked.Testing at Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah (the U) confirmed something she had never expected, especially at her age: breast cancer.“It just seemed very out of the blue,” Paige says. “It was really hard to process. I didn't know how it was going to affect my ability to play or not.”
“They cared about me and getting me back to feeling like myself and what I love doing, It wasn't just about the medicine. They got to know me as a person, and that made me feel really comfortable.”
Returning to the Field
Paige steps up to the plate during her first game after completing cancer treatment
Paige completed radiation treatment in June 2026. One month later, she was cleared to play and made her debut for the Cascades.At first, putting on her jersey and stepping onto the field in front of cheering fans felt overwhelming. But the perspective she had gained from facing cancer helped her return to the game with a different mindset. Instead of worrying about what came next, she focused on being present in the game.“That was freeing,” she says. “I was able to come back and feel so happy and free because I was just so grateful for the moment in front of me.”
Today, Paige is living her dream of playing professionally while continuing her master’s program and working on the U’s coaching staff.When she’s out on the softball field on the U’s campus, she can look up and see Huntsman Cancer Institute.Every now and then, Paige looks toward the building where she was treated and pauses, grateful to be back doing what she loves.
Paige with her teammates during her first game after completing cancer treatment
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