America's most famous female soccer player takes time to visit with teen soccer player in Murfreesboro with malignant brain tumor

Dec 09, 2015 at 08:57 am by bryan


Abby Wambach, America's most famous female soccer player, two-time Olympic gold medalist and four-time World Cup competitor, took time recently on a trip to middle Tennessee to sit down and talk with Murfreesboro Soccer Club (MSC) longtime player 17-year-old Noah McClard as he fights the battle of his life against a malignant brain tumor. After a 14-year career, Wambach is retiring, and plays her final game Dec. 16.

Sarah McClard, Noah's mother, watched and listened as Wambach offered to Noah "some of the most powerful and intensely emotional words I've ever heard. She wasn't afraid to address Noah's situation. One of the things she said was this: 'Every day you have a decision to make when you wake up in the morning. You can be positive or you can be negative about your life and whatever you are facing. It's up to you."

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Sarah McClard said everyone present had "tears in their eyes," and "we laughed and cried and were amazed at her, all at the same time. It was an incredible experience for all of us, and especially Noah," she said.

Noah, a junior at Oakland High School, played recreational soccer with Murfreesboro Soccer Club until seventh grade, when he joined MSC's travel team, the Strikers.

"Murfreesboro Soccer Club is like our family, and all of the people with the club are really special," said Sarah McClard. "We appreciate them and the Tennessee Soccer Association making this time with Abby possible for Noah. She has inspired all of us."

Noah was diagnosed earlier this year, and has received multiple rounds of radiation and chemotherapy. "He's doing really well," Sarah McClard said. "He has tolerated the treatment very well, and can go to school most days. He has had two brain scans recently, and nothing is showing up, and we are very grateful. We know that Noah's attitude is a huge factor in how he's doing. He tells everybody that this brain tumor is just a 'speed bump' in his life."

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