Van Buren's Sara Rivas brings fearlessness to the tennis court after battling cancer

VAN BUREN — Sara Rivas wasn't going to miss out on playing tennis again. "If I had stopped playing tennis, I would have let cancer take away something I've enjoyed," Rivas said. "I couldn't let cancer take that away from me." Rivas was in the weight room at the start of her sophomore year when she discovered a knot below her knee. The prognosis wasn't good. Rivas was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a cancer that grows on the bone. Van Buren Sara Rivas waits for the serve during a match against Alma at the Van Buren City Tennis Courts on Sept. 21, 2021. Rivas missed most of her sophomore year battling cancer and her junior year learning to walk again after parts of the bone were removed from her leg. "When you add the pandemic on top of that, it was tough," Rivas said. "My parents believed in me and I don't think I could have done this without their support as well." And now back playing tennis as a senior, Rivas had just one loss as Van Buren's No. 2 singles player during the regular season. "I didn't think I would get to this point of the season," Rivas said. "But life works in a funny way. I did work hard in the off-season, so I guess that hard work paid off. I mostly just wanted to come out to support my friends this fall. I would have been just as happy if I didn't get to be the No. 2 singles player." She lost her first-round match at the 5A West Conference tournament at Russellville on Monday, but wins and loses are measured in different ways for Rivas. "I do feel like I play better than I did as a freshman because I have a different mindset now. I play every match like it's my last match," Rivas said. "I like winning, but I already feel like I'm winning just for being out here. A year and a half ago, I didn't know if I would be able to play again." The tennis team does a rope course at the start of each school year and Rivas did everything without hesitation, according to coach Brandy Mosby. Her fearlessness was evident. "She plays like she has nothing to lose," Mosby said. "She's incredible." The team has made Rivas a blanket she can use for her trips to Children's Hospital in Little Rock for the next nine months as she continues cancer treatments. "She's my miracle child. She has worked hard in the off-season to come back to play tennis," Mosby said. "Sara moves better than she did when she was a freshman and from what we saw as she got ready to play as a sophomore."

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VAN BUREN'S SARA RIVAS BRINGS FEARLESSNESS TO THE TENNIS COURT AFTER BATTLING CANCER

GEORGE MITCHELL

SW Times | 10/1/2021

PHOTO CREDIT: Pointer Media