Tiana Mangakahia — an honorable mention All-American point guard at Syracuse — announced Monday she was ready to begin treatment in a fight against breast cancer after being diagnosed with the disease June 18.
MORE ON MANGAKAHIA: "I will come out stronger"
She wrote a letter on the Syracuse website titled,
"Even though this is devastating news, I am so grateful to be surrounded by so much love and support from my 'Cuse family and staff. I've got a tremendous support system surrounding me, including Coach Q, Trishton Jackson, Miss Shandrist [Hillsman], Olivia Coiro, Oliver Haney, Sue Cornelius Edson, Dr. [James] Tucker, John Wildhack, Sandy Brondello, the Australian National Team staff, my amazing parents and brothers who have been waking up in the middle of the night to speak with me and my team of doctors. This is beatable and I will fight and win."
Mangakahia posted the news on Twitter and that led to an outpouring of support that went well beyond the Syracuse family.
Many former and current NCAA student-athletes, coaches, on-court rivals and fans showed their love for Mangakahia under the hashtag #ToughforT.
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