Tennis players from Gahanna Lincoln, Worthington Kilbourne, and Reynoldsburg High Schools met in a match on Wednesday, but they were also battling more than each other.
They demonstrated unified support for a former Gahanna tennis player who is now fighting cancer.
“She really had no symptoms other than this collar bone sticking out, but it was the mass from the cancer that had caused that,” said Jan Ross.
Ross said she was shocked, like any parent would be, when her 20-year-old daughter was diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkin's lymphoma back in May.
Taylor Ross was a 2010 graduate of Gahanna Lincoln who was a co-captain of the school's tennis team. She’s kept in touch with the team's coaches and players since graduating.
"At one point when she was first diagnosed, a lot of the players came over to her house and brought her a cookie cake and some things to let her know they were thinking about her,” added Jan Ross.
But these tennis players decided to take their support for Taylor even further.
"We wanted to show her that she's not alone in this and that we're all here to help her and help her through this,” said Anna McCloud, Gahanna Lincoln Tennis player.
The Gahanna Lincoln tennis team invited Taylor to attend their match as an honorary captain.
But they surprised her by wearing special uniforms in her honor.
Gahanna Lincoln tennis players even got their opponent, Worthington Kilbourne, to take part in the special tribute.
Their girls also wore special uniforms and even made bracelets to let Taylor know she's not alone.
"She's inspiring us with everything she's going through and if there's anything we can do to inspire her and help her out, all the better,” said Ken Berlin, Worthington Kilborne Coach.
And it didn't stop there. The Reynoldsburg tennis team, who didn't even have a match, came to show their support and brought flowers to give to Taylor.
It's a day Taylor said she'll never forget and one that will help her keep going.
"I've tried to stay positive, and the reason I've been able to stay positive and strong is because there are so many people that stand behind me,” said Taylor Ross.
Taylor has five more weeks of chemotherapy at The James Cancer Hospital at Ohio State. The families of the tennis players are planning to make donations to the James in Taylor’s name.
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