Trumbull volleyball rallies behind teammate battling cancer: 'Every day she shows me how tough she is'

The Trumbull and Darien volleyball teams with sophomore manager Cydney Whitney on Oct. 15, 2026 at Trumbull High School. (Photo Courtesy of/Jackie Carley) TRUMBULL - At the end of every win, the Trumbull girls volleyball team passes an "Eddie the Eagle" statue to its player of the game. After a 3-0 victory over Darien on Oct. 15, Eddie went to someone who never stepped on the court.Sophomore Cydney Whitney is battling Hodgkin lymphoma. The volleyball community made sure she knew she was not fighting it alone.Whitney, who played on the freshman team last fall, was diagnosed in early July. She is in the middle of treatment, still attending classes and working as the varsity team's manager."When she can be here, she is always in high spirits and always the loudest cheerleader," Trumbull coach Nicole Trommelen said. "We wanted to do something to show her love and support and we reached out to Darien and they were on board."While calling other schools to ask how they run their pink-out games, Trommelen found even more support. Baskets and messages came in from Greenwich, Ridgefield, Warde, Ludlowe, Staples, New Canaan, Wilton and GFA."We did not expect that outpouring from other schools, but it was so nice to see everyone rally," Trommelen said. "The gym was packed with fans, a lot of them wearing purple."The Eagles have worn purple shoelaces all season. Against Darien, they added purple warmups and hair ties. Darien's players wore them, too.For Whitney, the response was overwhelming."I never really thought they'd do all of that just for me, because of this," she said. "I had no idea they were going to give me anything. I think it's so nice."It was a long way from where her summer began. Whitney had just finished a club clinic and a week of conditioning for the high school season when she went to the emergency room on a Monday. She was diagnosed that Wednesday."I wasn't that scared," she said.Part of the reason is her mother, Neila Feliz, who was diagnosed with the same type of cancer a few years ago. It was stage four, and she beat it."Since she already went through it fully, I wasn't as scared as someone who never had an experience with someone with cancer," Whitney said. "I already kind of knew what was happening."Whitney shows remarkable toughness for a 15-year-old, something her mother attributes in part to their family. Feliz immigrated from Mexico at age 10 and was raised in the Bronx before joining the Marines, where she served from 2002 to 2019."I'm Latina, I come from the Bronx and I am a Marine," Feliz said. "Cydney is just like me, she's up going to school, going to games. Every day, she shows me how tough she is."Feliz said she was overwhelmed with emotion when she walked into the Trumbull gym for the Darien game and saw all the purple and signs supporting her daughter."I had to hold it in and tell the other moms to stop crying because if I saw them crying, I would lose it," Feliz said. "I am a Marine. I have been taught how to hold it in, but in moments like that, it is hard."Feliz had stage 4 Hodgkin lymphoma but finished her treatments in 2021 and has been cancer-free since.Having gone through cancer herself, she had an idea of what the doctor was going to tell them when Whitney first went to the hospital, but that did nothing to ease the blow. "It was gut wrenching," Feliz said. "She was in the hospital for two weeks before she could come home. She has gone through treatments, immunotherapy and still has to get radiation. There are good days and bad days."Feliz said she has been indulging Whitney a bit with her favorite foods and treats after treatments, knowing what she is going through."Life is too short and I want her to be happy and I always try to find ways to make life sweet for her," Feliz said. "I tell her about my experiences and try to help her get through this any way I can. Tomorrow is never promised and I want her to experience as much joy as she can."Whitney has a port in her chest for treatment, which keeps her from playing. She has not appeared in a match this season. Her treatments are scheduled to end in December, and the goal is to be back on the court for club season."Once I get my port removed, I'll have more movement and less risk of infection," she said. "I am really looking forward to being able to play again. I love being here every day, but I miss being on the court."Until then, she is a fixture at practice and in the gym."She comes in every day with a smile on her face, and she's even there to help us, shagging balls," senior Lauren Yakowicz said. "She's been very strong throughout the whole thing. Even when she first got diagnosed, she was always like, 'How can I grow from this?' She knows she's going to get through this, and she's so positive."Yakowicz said the support and gift baskets from other towns made sense, since Whitney plays club with many of those girls.Sophomore Lucy Thomas met Whitney in the travel season before they ever shared a high school team, and the two became close quickly."She's just the most positive person all the time," Thomas said. "Every single point, if we lose the point, if we win the point, you really can't even tell with her. She lifts everybody up. You can see how strong she's become, and the impact that she's had on me is crazy."Thomas cannot wait for Whitney's return."I want to be on the court with her so bad," she said. "I'm just inching toward when she gets on the court, and we can wear jerseys together, carpool together. So excited for when she gets to come back."Sign up for the Connecticut Briefing from CT Insider. Get the biggest headlines of the day from our network of journalists around the state.This article originally published at Trumbull volleyball rallies behind teammate battling cancer: 'Every day she shows me how tough she is'.