Lindsey Quichocho making most out of her opportunities

Oct. 28—JAMESTOWN — Lindsey Quichocho was at Mayo Clinic when the Jamestown High School volleyball team was raising money for her fight against breast cancer.This year, she's in the gym sitting alongside the team on the bench."Cancer has changed a lot of those things in my life, but it hasn't changed who I am or the things that bring me joy," Quichocho said. "Living with stage four cancer comes with a lot of uncertainty, and I've learned that I can't put my life on hold waiting for everything to be perfect. I still want to be present for my family, pursue the things I'm passionate about and make the most of the opportunities in front of me."... Cancer is part of my story, but it doesn't have to be the whole story," she said. "I don't know exactly what the future holds but I do know that I want to keep living my life, making memories, and finding joy in the things I love."One of those things she loves is the sport of volleyball.Quichocho has been involved in Jamestown Park and Recreation volleyball since she was young. Her early involvement grew into playing as a Blue Jay throughout middle school and high school, participating in the JO's (Junior Olympic) program and eventually staying in Jamestown to play volleyball at the University of Jamestown."After I finished playing college volleyball, I knew right away that I wanted to get into coaching and continue being involved in the game," Quichocho said. "Volleyball has taught me so many life lessons and brought so much joy to both me and my family throughout my playing years. I wanted to be able to share that same experience with others. Coaching allows me to ... stay connected to a game I love while helping young athletes grow, build confidence and learn lessons that extend far beyond the game."Quichocho helped coach at various levels in the high school program until she had her daughter, Nola. After her daughter was born Quichocho started coaching a slightly less demanding in-season schedule at the middle school level."I've been fortunate that my parents still live in Jamestown and have always been willing to help during volleyball season," Quichocho said. "Their support allowed me to continue doing something I loved while navigating life as a first-time mom."Quichocho continued coaching as her daughter got older."When Nola was in grade school, she would often come to practice with me, so she grew up around volleyball and watching her mom coaching," Quichocho said. "Once Nola was old enough to participate in the JO volleyball program in the spring, I had the opportunity to coach her and her age group through that program while continuing coaching sixth and seventh grade volleyball. It's been special to share my love of the game with her and watch her develop as a player."... She's been a gym rat for as long as I can remember, spending countless hours in the gym while I coached and looking up to the older Blue Jay volleyball players," she said. "From the moment she could pass a ball, we've been peppering and playing volleyball together. And I can promise you, I've never held back on hitting the ball hard at her either."Quichocho was involved with coaching volleyball in Jamestown from 2006 to May 2018, when some health concerns arose."After my first breast cancer diagnosis in May 2018, I took the following fall volleyball season off to focus on chemotherapy and radiation treatments," Quichocho said. "Ultimately, my decision to step away came down to knowing I would not be able to give coaching, or the girls I was coaching, the time and energy they deserved. I knew that going through chemotherapy and other treatments would take a toll on me physically, and I didn't feel it would be fair to my players if I could not give them my best."Cancer first became a part of Quichocho's story about 15 years ago, when her mother was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer at the age of 59."I watched her go through some of the toughest chemotherapy treatments, yet she continued to be the most supportive person in our family," Quichocho said. "Through everything she faced, she never missed a beat when it came to being there for us. She has always been the center of our family and watching her navigate that experience is something I'll never forget."At age 35, Quichocho received her own breast cancer diagnosis. In June 2018, she underwent a double mastectomy. In August of the same year, she began chemotherapy, followed by numerous radiation treatments."Unfortunately, radiation led to complications with reconstructive surgeries," Quichocho said. "The years to follow involved additional reconstructive surgeries and daily oral medication to help keep the cancer from returning. The next years were filled with more reconstructive surgeries and oral medication to keep my cancer away."The treatment helped and for seven years, Quichocho was cancer free.Then, something happened."In May of 2025, I was experiencing persistent back pain that was not improving with my normal care routine," Quichocho said. "My oncologist asked me to come in for CT scan. I remember sitting in the office with Laura Bond about fifteen minutes after my scan she told me that my cancer had returned and spread to my spine.Because of how close the cancer was to her spinal cord, Quichocho was quickly referred to her oncologist at Mayo Clinic, who consulted with a neurosurgical team. Quichocho said she initially scheduled spinal surgery after school got out in May to repair the damaged vertebrae and protect my spinal cord.She did not make it to her scheduled surgery date."On May 22, after experiencing some numbness in my leg throughout the day, I woke up in the middle of the night unable to move my legs from the waist down," Quichocho said. "My family and I made the seven-hour drive to Mayo Clinic, where I underwent a 12-hour emergency spinal surgery."During the surgery, two rods were placed along her spine, the tumor was removed and the spinal fracture was repaired. The surgical team monitored my spinal cord function throughout the procedure. At one point, doctors informed Quichocho's family that the nerve monitoring results were concerning and doctors couldn't be certain whether she would regain function in her legs."Thankfully, after surgery, I began regaining the feeling in my legs. I was released from the ICU two days later and discharged from the hospital three days after that able to walk with the assistance from my family," Quichocho said. "Living with stage IV cancer means I may never get to say the words: 'I am cancer free'. This is something I will live with for the rest of my life. I receive targeted chemotherapy treatments every three weeks, along with oral chemotherapy medication, as part of my ongoing treatment plan.Quichocho's recent PET (positron emission tomography) scans have shown an encouraging response to treatment."I know that treatment will continue to be part of my life as long as it is helping me," Quichocho said. "I have hope in medicine, in my oncologists and in the medical professionals who continue to care for me. Most importantly, I hope that these treatments will allow me to live a long, fulfilling life surrounded by the people who matter most to me.Some of those who matter the most to Quichocho spend a lot of time in Jerry Meyer Arena."I genuinely love the game of volleyball and what it can teach young athletes — not only about themselves, but also about teamwork, selflessness and being apart of something bigger than themselves," Quichocho said. "... When I stepped away from coaching, I knew I would miss it, but I was fortunate to still be around the game because of Nola, playing."Nola is now a freshman at Jamestown High School. She is rostered as one of the athletes on the Blue Jays varsity team. Nola has played in three of the varsity team's matches and has contributed three kills and seven digs to the stat books. She is also a member of the junior varsity volleyball team."Her love for volleyball runs just as deep as mine," Quichocho said of her daughter. "I've never had to tell her to go work on her game. She's always the one wanting more reps, more practice, more coaching. She's incredibly driven and always looking for ways to improve. Sometimes I'm actually the one asking if we should slow down a little and be mindful of injuries."When I coached her during her JO seasons, she would tell me 'good practice, Mom!' after each one," she said. "When I was coaching Nola's seventh grade team, we went undefeated that season. Nola, the girls and I would often talk about what the future might look like when they were playing high school volleyball together. We dreamed about winning a state championship as Blue Jays. I'd love nothing more to see that dream become a reality and hopefully be part of it as a coach. That would be a pretty incredible full-circle moment."Quichocho is now one of Nola's high school coaches. She is one of four assistant volleyball coaches for the Blue Jay varsity team and one of two coaches for the Blue Jays' 10A team."Sara Hegerle has played a big role in encouraging me to return to coaching," Quichocho said. "She had been wanting me to come back to the high school level for quite some time. I knew I wanted to be involved again, but I wasn't sure how coaching would fit into my life with my ongoing cancer treatments and everything that comes along with them. ... I wasn't sure how I could balance coaching with treatments, traveling for scans and having the energy and stamina to give my team the commitment they deserve."Sara assured me we could make it work," she said. "Her understanding that there may be days when I'm not feeling my best or can't be there 100 percent gave me the confidence to return to coaching high school. ... The entire JHS volleyball coaching staff have been incredibly supportive when I've needed to step away to focus on my health. I still hate missing time with my team, but knowing they are in great hands with my co-coach, Coach Darienne (Johnson), gives me peace of mind. Having people who understand my circumstances and still believe in what I can bring to the program means more to me than they probably realize."Quichocho hopes to continue coaching as long as her health allows."Coaching brings me so much happiness, and being back in the gym has reminded me just how much I love it," she said. "I'm having so much fun being back in the gym. Coaching has always been such a big part of who I am, and I didn't realize just how much I missed it until I returned."I'm grateful to Sara for helping make it possible for me to continue doing the things I love. I get to be a mom cheering on Nola, a coach doing something I'm passionate about and still have the flexibility to put my health first when I need to," she said. "That balance means everything to me. Many of the girls in the program are players I've either coached or watched grow up. Seeing how much they've developed, not only as volleyball players but as young, good people has been so rewarding. After everything I have been through, being back on the court, surrounded by these girls and a sport I love, is something I don't take for granted. I am just really thankful to be here and to be a part of it again."