Support Halo's Fight Against Lymphoma #TeamHalo

Halo is a valued member of the Hill Country Strike Volleyball Club and a bright light in our volleyball community in Boerne, TX. She is a sophomore at Boerne High School.

Halo’s Journey: From the Court to the Fight of Her Life

by Don & Kim Botha

In early July 2025, Halo was packing for a long-awaited beach trip to Port Aransas when she began to feel unwell. What started as a brief wave of nausea quickly signaled that something wasn’t right. Known for her boundless energy and iron-clad immune system, Halo is almost never sidelined by injury or illness — so this sudden change was cause for concern.

A precautionary visit to Fair Oaks Urgent Care set in motion a whirlwind of events that would change everything. A CT scan revealed two alarming findings: a mass on her pancreas and another on her kidney. Within hours, she was admitted to Methodist Children’s Hospital for further evaluation.

What followed was an emotionally exhausting week of scans, blood draws, biopsies, and consultations. Doctors confirmed the masses were cancerous but could not yet determine the exact type. The disease had already spread to both kidneys, multiple areas of the pancreas, and also showed signs of stomach involvement. Hearing the words “cancer” and “probably stage 4” is every parent’s nightmare. In that instant, our world shifted. Fear and uncertainty flooded in as we struggled with how to tell Halo, knowing her life was about to change overnight.

When we explained the diagnosis, Halo listened quietly, insisting she felt fine. But when we told her chemotherapy would leave her immunocompromised — meaning no large crowds and limited time with friends… NO VOLLEYBALL — the weight of it finally hit. Volleyball isn’t just a sport to Halo; it’s been a constant in her life since she was six years old. It’s what she anticipates every season, without fail. In that moment, the reality of her diagnosis set in.

The wait for final lab results was the longest stretch of days we’ve ever endured. We knew we had to be the steady foundation she could lean on, so we projected calm confidence — even while beneath the surface, we were paddling furiously just to stay afloat. But in true Halo fashion, she flipped the script. Our firstborn, natural leader, and headstrong fighter mentally prepared herself for the battle ahead. She cracked jokes, lifted the room’s energy, and even had the nurses laughing. At one point, she smirked and said, “Well, I guess we have to start doing those 5Ks now.” The look on the nurse’s face was priceless. That’s Halo — finding humor in the confusion and calm in the chaos.

Finally, the diagnosis came: Non-Hodgkin’s Large B-Cell Lymphoma — an aggressive cancer of the lymphatic system that causes infection-fighting cells to grow uncontrollably, weakening the immune system. As frightening as it sounded, her oncologist reassured us that while this cancer spreads quickly, it often responds well to treatment. The relief was indescribable. We had already prepared to fight — now we were ready to win.

Since then, Halo has endured three rounds of intrathecal chemotherapy and two full cycles of systemic chemotherapy, with four to six cycles still ahead.

But Halo is so much more than a diagnosis. She’s a powerhouse on the volleyball court, a fierce competitor in track and field, and a young woman determined to pursue her dream of becoming a dermatologist. She loves life deeply, connects effortlessly with people, and lights up every room with her smile and charisma. She’s often the loudest singer in the room — belting out songs with her siblings and friends — and dances without hesitation, laughs without restraint, and lives with a joy that’s absolutely contagious. She is magnetic, headstrong, driven — and above all, unbreakable.

Now, as she faces the biggest challenge of her life, the financial burden of treatment is immense. This is where our community can step in. Every donation — no matter the size — will go directly toward Halo’s medical care and the essential needs that come with this battle.

Halo has always been unstoppable — in sports, in academics, and in life. Now it’s our turn to rise with her, to match her strength, her courage, and her fire.

Thank you for standing beside her. Together, we can make sure she never walks this road alone.

#HaloStrong #TeamHalo