In early 2016, the Velez family received the worst news they thought they could hear.

Felicia Velez, a surgical nurse, two-time cancer survivor and mother of three, had glioblastoma, a malignant tumor in her brain stem that was supposed to be slow growing.

By the time her doctors found the cancer, it had spread to her spine. She was given eight to 10 months to live.

“My doctor, as gently as he could say it, explained I was likely to not be around to watch my girls, Kaitlyn and Madi, graduate from high school, college or celebrate a wedding, or all of the adult milestones they would go through,” Velez said in a letter which was read to the crowd at the Nov. 28 Brown County High School girls basketball game.

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Velez and her family stood center court, wearing and surrounded by a sea of grey T-shirts marked #Velezstrong.

With gifts in hand and arms ready for hugs, the players gave her a signed basketball, wreaths and pillows, along with many bags and baskets filled with gifts.

The team decided to host a benefit game for the family as a way to give back to the community, head coach Matt Roberts said.

For the past several months, Velez has been receiving experimental treatments that cost $6,000 to $7,000 a month. As her health has rapidly declined, she has had to quit her job, while her husband, Brown County High School graduate Nick Velez, works to support the family, Roberts said.

This is not Felicia’s first go around with cancer. She has had ovarian and cervical cancer.

The new tumor was discovered during a routine MRI for aggressive migraines she had been experiencing the last 12 years.

“I felt my headaches were different, and I was incredibly persistent for a repeat scan from a second neurologist,” Felicia said in a handwritten letter which Roberts read to the crowd.

“My suggestion is you know your body. Listen to it. Never underestimate something small that seems insignificant.”

Velez has one kidney remaining due to her rounds of chemotherapy. She is unable to do dialysis or receive a transplant due to her condition, Roberts said. Her kidney is now functioning at 35 to 40 percent, and her cancer has spread to 60 percent of her bones, he said.

“My biggest fear was not being there for them should they (my children) face such illness as this, as my superhero of a mother has done for me,” Roberts read, as Felicia hugged her mother, Linda Whitaker.

They both wiped tears from their eyes.

The family’s youngest daughter, Madison, is a student at Sprunica Elementary School. Coach Roberts’ wife, Emily, is one of her preschool teachers.

“I had heard several people speak of Mrs. Roberts as this amazing teacher they all loved. This helped my anxiety so much,” Felicia wrote.

She shared with Emily about her illness during several conversations, with more of Felicia’s story coming out each time. “She was amazingly attentive,” Felicia wrote about her daughter’s teacher.

One afternoon, Emily called her with an idea: The Eagles wanted to host a basketball game to benefit Felicia and her family.

“I immediately said, ‘No way. There are so many others that surely need this worse than our family,” Felicia wrote. “She almost chuckled and said, ‘Felicia, I don’t see how that’s possible.’ After a full weekend and many friends and family convincing me it was OK, I said yes.”

Before the start of the Mitchell-Brown County game, Madison laced up her tennis shoes and joined the team as they ran around the court. She sat on the sidelines with the players and hit the band’s gong at the end of the game.

“There no words that begin to describe how incredibly grateful we are for this night. It’s not just about me, but for all of the people who suffer from brain cancer,” Felicia’s letter read.

{span}{span}Donations were still coming in the week after the game. Matt Roberts said the total money raised for the Velez family would be around $4,000.

{span}{span}”I cannot say enough about the amazing warmth and kindness these girls have shown our family,” Felicia wrote. “They are truly in a class all their own.”

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Donations for the Velez family can be sent to Brown County High School (235 Schoolhouse Lane Nashville, Indiana 47448) with attention to Matt Roberts.

Anyone who wants more information on how to donate to the Velez family can email Matt Roberts at [email protected].

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